Spiritual guru Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to run a campaign for conservation of rivers in the country akin to the Namami Sewa Yatra currently underway in Madhya Pradesh. “I will discuss with the Prime Minister and the Union Ministry for Environment to have a campaign like the 'Namami Devi Narmade - Sewa Yatra' across the country to make people aware about the importance of river conservation," he told a gathering on Saturday at Shahganj in Sehore district.
Sadguru Vasudev was in the town to participate in the ongoing Narmada Yatra. He added, “The Indian civilisation flourished between Narmada and Godavari rivers, which are shrinking now. This means that we are not worried about our future. A campaign like 'Namami Devi Narmade - Sewa Yatra' has never been conducted so far.”
He said efforts should be made to run an awareness campaign for river conservation from Kanyakumari to Uttarakhand. “The talks are being held with the Union Government to save rivers. The rivers used to flow incessantly when forest was unharmed in India," he said.
“It is necessary to protect the soil next to the bank of rivers, otherwise it will convert into sand turning areas surrounding the rivers into a desert,” he said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that without Narmada, life cannot go on. He said that to make Narmada incessant, the entire society will have to come forward.
He said that without daughters, the world cannot exist. Those who hurt a girl or damage her self-esteem should be hanged and the state government is forming a law in this connection which will be forwarded to the Centre.
Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar said that he is elated to have joined the Yatra at Ma Narmada’s feet. He said that when humans failed to fulfil their responsibilities, nature has lost its balance. Today the rivers are facing crisis, he added.