Bhopal: In hi first visit to Madhya Pradesh as Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath hailed the Narmada Seva Yatra as a model for river conservation and said it has inspired him to do the same for Ganga."On the lines of Namami Devi Narmade campaign, we will speed up the Namami Gange project and conservation of its tributaries," said Yogi Adityanath at a Narmada Sewa Yatra at Shapura in Umaria district on Friday. Namami Gange is the biggest challenge and the Narmada conservation project a major inspiration, he added, with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan alongside."It's been only 40 days since I became chief minister. Cleaning River Ganga, one of the most ambitious plans of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through the Namami Gange project has come as the biggest challenge. The Prime Minister has given Rs 20,000 crore for this. But how to accomplish the target when previous governments have done nothing to save the Ganga?" the UP CM said."After learning about Narmada Sewa Yatra, I became more curious and wanted to know what is it that has inspired so many people to join the movement to clean the river," said the Yogi, adding that the involvement of people in an apolitical campaign in such large numbers, covering 3,500 km, is commendable. "On the one hand the Prime Minister is keen to conserve holy Ganga, and on the other chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched a massive Narmada conservation campaign. These are two most crucial and ambitious projects, vital for humanity," he remarked.The movement reflects Shivraj-ji's popularity, Yogi Adityanath said, pointing out that alongside cleaning up the river, the Madhya Pradesh CM has drawn up a massive campaign to plant saplings, spruce up ghats and remove liquor shops from Narmada's vicinity. He recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's zeal for water conservation and his prediction that the next world war would be fought for water.The UP chief minister praised Chouhan for removing the "bimaru" (laggard) tag from Madhya Pradesh by developing it into an agriculture-based state in 12 years, which the Opposition political parties had never even thought before. He said BJP government not only developed roads, provided subsidized meals and organized mass marriages for the underprivileged but also earned praise for successfully organizing Simhastha in Ujjain by adding Narmada water into the almost dried-up Kshipra.In his address, CM Chouhan recalled the initiatives taken by his government to save river Narmada and the environment. He said Yogi Adityanath's visit has encouraged more people to come forward for such a noble cause. "Women of some districts along the banks of River Narmada have formed a 'blue gang' to fight alcohol abuse. They are not only resisting addiction and encouraging people to quit alcohol, but also conserving environment," said Chouhan.

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