National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved the 2025 Action Plan under the RCA, aimed at mainstream river-sensitive urban planning in Indian cities.

• The plan encompasses a series of capacity-building programs, knowledge exchange platforms, development of technical tools, etc. 

About River Cities Alliance (RCA)

• It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, launched in 2021.
• Objective: strengthen institutional capacity, encourage inter-city collaboration, and support Urban River Management Plans (URMPs).
• RCA has 145 member cities.
  • Any river city can join the Alliance at any time.

URMP Framework

• Launched in 2020 by National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and 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, Bareilly) have already created URMPs.
  • Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar’s Kham River Restoration Mission was globally recognised by the World Resources Institute’s Ross Center Prize for Cities.