Key Facts

Launch details of the Yamuna River Cruise on 11-12 November 2026:

• Inaugurating Authority: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal (MoPSW) accompanied by Delhi LG Sardar Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
• Location: Operating out of the newly engineered floating pontoon jetty at Sonia Vihar, New Delhi.
• Clean Tech Fleet: Features twin-hull electric and solar-hybrid catamarans with silent propulsion.
• National Waterway Alignment: Yamuna river is designated as National Waterway-110 (NW-110) under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
• Harit Nauka Guidelines: The project adheres to the Ministry's Harit Nauka (Green Transition) guidelines targeting 100% green propulsion vessels in domestic passenger waterways by 2035.

GK Context

• The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), a statutory body established in October 1986 under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is responsible for developing and maintaining the national waterways network for shipping and navigation.
• Under the National Waterways Act, 2016, 111 inland waterways across 24 states have been notified as National Waterways, with NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly system from Prayagraj to Haldia) serving as the flagship cargo corridor.

Static GK

• The Yamuna is the second-largest tributary of the Ganges and the longest tributary in India (1,376 km), originating from the Yamunotri Glacier in the Lower Himalayas.
• It enters the Indo-Gangetic plain through Haryana and Delhi before merging with the Ganga at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj.

UPSC Mains Framework

GS Paper III (Infrastructure & Renewable Energy): Discuss the viability of inland waterways transport (IWT) as a cost-effective, low-carbon alternative to congested road and rail networks in urban India.