Which Union Government flagship project, launched to integrate efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner, is being implemented to restore the health of the river system?

Introduction / Context:
The river Ganga holds immense cultural, religious and economic importance in India, but has also suffered from serious pollution and ecological stress. In response, the Union Government launched an integrated flagship project to clean, rejuvenate and protect the Ganga river system in a comprehensive way. Many general studies and environment related examinations ask candidates to identify this specific programme among various central schemes, which is what this question is testing.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The project mentioned integrates efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river. - It is described as an ambitious Union Government project. - Options list four different schemes with different focus areas. - We need to choose the scheme that specifically targets the Ganga river.

Concept / Approach:
The names of centrally sponsored schemes are often descriptive. Uday Desh Ka Aam Nagrik relates to regional air connectivity and aviation. Urja Ganga focuses on gas pipeline infrastructure. Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat promotes cultural integration among states. The scheme devoted to cleaning and protecting the river Ganga is Namami Ganga Yojana, also called Namami Gange. The approach is to understand the theme of each scheme and match the one that clearly deals with Ganga river conservation.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that the question speaks of cleaning and protecting the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner. Step 2: Recall that Namami Ganga Yojana is widely publicised as the integrated Ganga conservation and rejuvenation programme. Step 3: Check the other options: Uday Desh Ka Aam Nagrik focuses on regional air connectivity, not on rivers. Step 4: Urja Ganga is linked to gas pipeline projects, and Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat is about national integration and cultural exchange, so neither deals centrally with river cleaning. Step 5: Therefore, Namami Ganga Yojana is the only option that matches the description of a Ganga river cleaning and protection project.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification strategy is to translate or interpret the scheme names. Namami Gange can be loosely understood as a salutation to the Ganga and is directly associated with the National Mission for Clean Ganga. Government publicity campaigns, advertisements and exam preparation material frequently mention Namami Ganga Yojana as the comprehensive programme to control pollution, improve sewage treatment and conserve the river ecosystem. None of the other schemes are associated with river cleaning drives. This confirms that Namami Ganga Yojana is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Uday Desh Ka Aam Nagrik: This is a regional connectivity scheme in the aviation sector that aims to make air travel affordable, so it has no direct link to Ganga river cleaning.
Urja Ganga: This scheme focuses on providing piped natural gas through gas pipelines and deals mainly with energy infrastructure, not river conservation, so it is not correct here.
Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat: This programme promotes cultural exchange and bonding among different states and union territories, and is unrelated to cleaning or protecting the Ganga river.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners may get confused between Namami Ganga and Urja Ganga because both names contain the word Ganga or are used in similar sounding contexts. Another pitfall is to select a scheme purely by guessing without remembering the exact theme, especially when under time pressure. To avoid these errors, it is useful to associate Namami Gange with river rejuvenation, Urja Ganga with energy pipelines, Udan or Uday Desh Ka Aam Nagrik with aviation, and Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat with national integration. Clear mental links between scheme names and their sectors make it easier to answer such questions correctly.

Final Answer:
The comprehensive Union Government project to clean and protect the Ganga river is Namami Ganga Yojana.