Like Ramayana and Buddhist circuit, special train will also be run on Ambedkar circuit. Which will give a boost to the tourism circuit. For this 3,000 special railway coaches have been reserved.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy
Union Minister of Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy Inaugurated the three-day conference of State Tourism Ministers in the Dharamsala program held on Sunday, 18 September 2022. From the stage in the Dharamsala program, he announced to run a special tourist train to cover the Ambedkar circuit and said that 3,000 special railway coaches have been reserved to promote the tourism circuit. Like Ramayana and Buddhist circuit, special train will also be run on Ambedkar circuit. Let us tell you that in the month of June, a special train was run on the Ramayana circuit, which included important places related to the life of Lord Rama, including Ayodhya and Janakpur in Nepal. On the other hand, officials say that it will become a regular facility.
In the Dharamsala program, Reddy said that the Ministry of Tourism has prepared an action plan for various circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme. Proposed in 2016, the Ambedkar circuit covers Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, Ambedkar’s birthplace, Nagpur, where he converted to Buddhism, his residence in Delhi where he lived during his last years, and Dadar in Maharashtra, where his body was buried. The rites were performed. The three-day tourism ministers’ conference will discuss issues related to the tourism sector, including attracting foreign tourists, increasing domestic tourism, comprehensive development of tourist destinations and promoting indigenous activities in the domestic sector. Special focus will also be on eco-tourism, green tourism, medical tourism and wildlife tourism.
Government focusing on responsible and sustainable tourism
Reddy said the government was focusing on responsible and sustainable tourism and the National Tourism Policy would prepare a blueprint for these sectors. Will be out before the next budget session. According to the new policy, green tourism and digital tourism will be the major focus areas of the government in the next decade. The policy document also identified factors that hinder the growth of the tourism sector in the country, including “perceptions related to safety and security” and weak linkages between the Center and the states.
At the same time, officials of the Ministry of Tourism say that concrete steps will be taken to solve these issues. Along with this, discussions were also held on how the tourism sector has been affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic and what steps need to be taken to return to the pre-pandemic level. The Himalayan states are doing well after the pandemic in terms of domestic tourism.
new airports will be built
Reddy, who is also the development minister of the North Eastern Region, claimed that 99 per cent of the rebel groups in the Northeast had given up arms and now is the right time to focus on tourism and attracting investment. The government is planning to work on the construction of several new airports in the region. He said that there are 140 airports in the Northeast, but by 2025 we are planning to take it to 224.
E-Visa facility extended for citizens of 160 countries
To attract foreign tourists, the government had last year announced 5 lakh free e-visas on a first-come-first-served basis. Reddy, however, said the limit was not yet over as foreign tourist arrivals were affected in the wake of the Omicron wave earlier this year. The e-Visa facility has now been extended to citizens of 160 countries.
: Language Inputs