In a significant step towards sustainable urban river rejuvenation, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved an annual master plan for the River Cities Alliance (RCA), charting out a vibrant and action-oriented roadmap of initiatives to be undertaken across the year.

The plan encompasses a series of capacity-building programs, knowledge exchange platforms, development of technical tools, expert guidance, and thematic case studies, all focused on integrating river-sensitive urban planning within India’s growing cities.

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Launched in 2021, the RCA is a pioneering initiative led by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. With a current membership of 145 cities, the Alliance promotes a comprehensive approach to urban river management—one that strengthens institutional capacity, fosters inter-city collaboration within river basins, and supports the creation of Urban River Management Plans (URMPs). This year’s approved plan is tailored to further operationalize these goals by rolling out a range of strategic interventions.

A major focus this year will be the promotion of river considerations within city master plans through the organisation of River-Sensitive Master Planning (RSMP) training programs across states. Simultaneously, to support the formulation of Urban River Management Plans (URMPs), the NMCG will conduct training sessions, including onboarding programs specifically for RCA cities in Tamil Nadu, with further sessions planned for additional states.

The URMP framework, launched in 2020 by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and the NMCG, represents a first-of-its-kind approach to ensure that environmental, economic, and social dimensions are considered in the urban management of rivers. Five cities—Kanpur, Ayodhya, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Moradabad, and Bareilly—have already developed their URMPs, setting the benchmark for other urban centres. Notably, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar’s Kham River Restoration Mission was globally recognised by the World Resources Institute’s Ross Center Prize for Cities, underlining the transformative potential of this initiative.

The year ahead will also see the development of 25 more URMPs as part of the first phase of a larger mission to create 60 such plans across India over the next two to three years. Supported by the World Bank, this initiative marks a bold step in deepening river-sensitive urban governance. Steering Committees have already been constituted in states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal to facilitate plan formulation and guide implementation.