The second season of the popular series ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’ aimed at “inculcating a sense of responsibility towards the holy river in the people” was launched on Monday.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Singh Thakur along with Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Food Processing Industries Prahlad Singh Patel jointly launched the season two, a release from the Jal Shakti Ministry said.

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The season one of the series which was telecast on Doordashan in 2019 anchored by actor Rajeev Khandelwal had received an overwhelming response following which the second season was launched today, it claimed.

Starting August 21, 2021, the programme will be telecast every Saturday and Sunday at 8.30 p.m. on DD National.

Addressing the gathering after jointly launching the season two of the series, Shekhawat expressed pleasure at the initiative yielding very positive results.

“Forty per cent of the country’s population is dependent on the Ganga River Basin for their livelihood in one way or the other and today, a new consciousness of hope and faith has awakened among the countrymen regarding the conservation, development and ecological balance of rivers,” Shekhawat said.

He added that people have become serious about environment conservation and this thought has given impetus to the works of conservation along with uniting the country.

Sharing an anecdote from his visit at World Water Week at Stockholm, the Union Minister said that the government’s efforts towards environment conservation are internationally acclaimed. This has been possible because of the ‘4P principle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

Since public participation is an important aspect in the success of any campaign, a lot of emphasis is being laid on making this mission a ‘Jan Andolan’ with ‘Jan Bhagidari’ and that is why the big project has been implemented as a community plan, in which there is full participation of the public, and they are feeling a direct connection with this work, Shekhawat claimed.

Congratulating the Jal Shakti Ministry for their vision of encouraging public participation as part of Namami Gange programme, Thakur said that this initiative will take public participation for Ganga conservation to next level by making it a mass movement.

Quoting the huge viewership of Ramayan and Mahabharat during the lockdown, Thakur said that Doordarshan is known for creating quality content which remains popular even after decades. “Rag Rag Mein Ganga season 1 and season 2 is one such programme which has potential to remain popular for years”, he added.

Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra said, ‘Rag Rag Mein Ganga’ is a very creative and interesting initiative with Doordarshan which has proved to be very effective towards the goal of Ganga conservation and rejuvenation.

He said, “This time, we will not only bring to the fore the importance of tributaries but will also cover new destinations with some special destinations from the previous season.”

Actor and anchor for the show, Rajeev Khandelwal also spoke on the occasion. “This season will also be spreading awareness about tributaries, wetlands and other smaller water bodies which make river Ganga.”

DG Doordarshan Mayank Kumar Agrawal shared that the first season had nearly two crore viewership and informed that Doordarshan received many letters requesting for second season from all over the country.

First season focused spreading awareness about ecology, heritage and lifestyle associated with Ganga. The show found a huge resonance with the audience, especially the youth, who found the travel series a repository of infotainment and Ganga related knowledge. The show received a good review on IMDB rating.

After covering some of the majestic locations along the Ganges in first season, season 2 will cover the journey of some of Ganga’s main tributaries like the Yamuna, Kali, Saryu and the Gandak and showcase the cultural, historical, environmental and socio-economic aspects of the important cities on the banks of these tributaries.

The messages of river rejuvenation and water conservation have been interwoven and their importance reflected through the work being done by NMCG focusing on both Nirmalta and Aviralta, the release added.