'For a layman, the answer is a depressing 'no',' Ramesh said.

The minister said over Rs.816 crore (Rs.8.16 billion) was spent on two phases of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and a sewage treatment capacity of 1,007 million litres per day has been created.

The government has spent over Rs.682 crore (Rs.6.82 billion) on the first phase of the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) and in the second phase, another Rs.190 crore (Rs.1.9 billion) has been spent, he said.

Ramesh blamed the urban local bodies for their inability to operationalise the sewage treatment plants.

He said the central government would bear the full cost of operation and maintenance of sewage plants across the country for the next five years.