18-May-2023: Seven religious sites to be connected by Waterways in Guwahati
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) is committed towards developing Inland Waterways. In this line, an MoU for ‘Riverine based tourism Circuit’ being developed over river Brahmaputra will be signed between Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ATDC) and Directorate of Inland Water Transport (DIWT) Assam in Guwahati on 19th May 2023. The signing ceremony will take place in august presence of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam and Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Government of India.
The project is being developed under the Sagarmala Programme at an initial cost of Rs.40-45 crores. SDCL and IWAI will jointly contribute 55% of the project cost while the remaining will be provided by ATDC. DIWT has consented to provide the usage of Ghats near the temples free of cost for the project.
This Sagarmala project will connect the seven historic temples namely Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar and Auniati Satra situated in Guwahati. The circuit will sail from Hanuman Ghat, Uzan Bazar and will complete its journey by covering all the above-mentioned temples through waterways. The ferry service is expected to reduce the overall travel time to less than 2 hours for completing one complete circuit.
7-Apr-2023: Ministry of Tourism promotes Seven Liberation destinations (Saptha Moksha Puri) of India by undertaking promotional campaigns in domestic and global markets.
Ministry of Tourism, inter-alia, promotes tourist destinations of India, including the Saptha Moksha Puri (Seven Liberation destinations), viz., Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi Avantika (Ujjain), Puri (Odisha) and Dwaravati (Dwaraka, Gujarat), in a holistic manner. It undertakes promotional campaigns in domestic and global markets through electronic, print and digital media to promote the various tourist destinations and products of the country. Further promotions are also undertaken through the official web-site as well as through social media handles of the Ministry.
Further, Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance under the ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ Scheme with the objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations in consultation with the respective State Governments/ Union Territories (UTs).
Financial assistance is also provided under the Swadesh Darshan for the development of tourism infrastructure. The identification of sites is mainly the prerogative of the State Governments/UT Administrations. The projects are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable detailed project reports, adherence to Scheme guidelines, utilization of funds released earlier, etc. The Swadesh Darshan Scheme has been revamped to SD 2.0 for development of sustainable and responsible tourist destinations and Dwarka has been selected for development under SD 2.0.
13-Jan-2023: PM flags off World’s Longest River Cruise - MV Ganga Vilas in Varanasi via video conferencing
- PM flags off the World’s Longest River Cruise-MV Ganga Vilas and inaugurates Tent City in Varanasi via video conferencing
- Aims to boost river cruise tourism and unlock huge untapped potential in India
- Longest river cruise from Kashi to Dibrugarh is being flagged off today
- Will bring places of tourism in North India on the world tourism map
Benefits of Waterways
- Waterways are beneficial to the environment
- Cost of operating waterways is cheaper than roadways and railways
- India has over 125 rivers and river streams that can be developed for transport
MV Ganga Vilas Cruise
- Begins journey from Varanasi, travels around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh via Bangladesh
- Sails across 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh
- MV Ganga Vilas has three decks, 18 suites with a capacity of 36 tourists
- Maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire journey
Tourist Spots
- 51-day cruise planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, River Ghats, and major cities like Patna, Sahibganj, Kolkata, Dhaka, and Guwahati
- Tourists have an opportunity to embark upon an experiential voyage and indulge in the art, culture, history, and spirituality of India and Bangladesh.
11-Jan-2023: Culture Ministry to organise a grand curtain raiser program 'Sur Sarita - Symphony of Ganga' at Kashi Vishwanath Corridor on the eve of launch of world’s longest river cruise
Culture Ministry to organise 'Sur Sarita - Symphony of Ganga' cultural program
- On the eve of the launch of the world's longest river cruise
- At Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to flag off the cruise on 13th January
- Renowned singer Shankar Mahadevan to lead the grand concert
- Dignitaries and tourists to learn about the importance of Mother Ganga and their responsibilities towards her
- Sur Taranginis to be enjoyed during the concert
Ganga Vilas Cruise
- Journey of 51 days
- Crosses Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bangladesh, and Assam
- Songs chosen from different states to give different flavors in the concert
Folk musicians from Assam, Bihar, and Bengal to join Shankar Mahadevan in paying homage to the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra
'Kartavya Ganga'
- Rendition by Shankar Mahadevan
- Promises the river goddess that every Indian will take care of her
- Showcases the everlasting relevance of the river through an audio-visual presentation
National Council of Science Museums (NCSM),Kolkata under Ministry of Culture is organising a Mobile Science Exhibition on Maa Gange: Arth Ganga
- Exhibition to be flagged off from Varanasi before the concert
- A tribute to the Ganga for public awareness about conservation and restoration of the holy river
- Exhibition to travel in districts/sites located near the river Ganges
- 18 panels displayed, including Tributaries of Ganga, Ganga and Dams, and Sunderbans
8-Jan-2023: World’s longest river cruise ‘Ganga Vilas’ to unlock River Cruise tourism in India
- Launching on January 13, 2023, the MV Ganga Vilas is the world’s longest river cruise.
- The cruise will cover over 3,200 km across 27 river systems in five states in India and Bangladesh.
- The MV Ganga Vilas is a step towards unlocking the huge potential river tourism in India.
- The cruise will visit 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, river Ghats, and major cities.
- The vessel is 62 meters in length, 12 meters in width, has three decks, and 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists.
- The itinerary of MV Ganga Vilas has been curated to showcase the rich heritage of India with stopovers in spots of historical, cultural and religious importance.
- The development of this sector would generate employment opportunities in the hinterland.
- The river tourism circuits will be developed and integrated with the existing tourism circuits for maximum exposure and rapid development of this sector in the country.
- The success of this service is likely to enthuse entrepreneurs to explore river cruise in other parts of the country.
- The global River cruise market has grown at ~5% over the last few years and is expected to constitute ~37% of the cruise market by 2027.
- In India, 8 river cruise vessels are operational between Kolkata and Varanasi while cruise movement is also operation on National Waterways 2 (Brahmaputra).
- Tourism activities like river rafting, camping, sightseeing, kayaking and so on are operation in many spots in the country.
- The construction of 10 passengers terminals across NW2 are going on which will further bolster the prospect of river cruise.
- At present, four river cruise vessels are operational in NW2 while it is operating in limited capacity in NW3 (West Coast Canal), NW8, NW 4, NW 87, NW 97, and NW 5.