Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed on Friday that greater infrastructure has brought distant Indian communities to the attention of tourists in addition to redeveloping religious sites like Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Speaking at a post-Budget webinar on “Developing Tourism in Mission Mode,” Modi debunked the idea that the country’s high-income groups are the only ones who use the word “tourism” as a fancy term.
He added that “yatras” have been a significant aspect of Indian culture and society for decades, and he cited the Char Dham Yatra, Dwadash Jyotirling Yatra, and 51 Shaktipeeth Yatra as examples of how people have travelled on pilgrimages despite having few resources.
According to the prime minister, the long history of slavery and governmental indifference in the decades following Independence were to blame for the neglect of these locations.
When citing Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi as an example, Modi claimed that while the temple used to receive about 80 lakh visitors per year before it was refurbished, it received more than 7 crore visitors last year as a result of the refurbishment. Additionally, he noted that after the Kedarghati reconstruction project was completed, 15 lakh worshippers have visited the Kedarnath Temple as opposed to just 4-5 lakh previously.
The prime minister emphasised the tourist industry in India, claiming that it could expand significantly with better infrastructure, better public amenities, and better digital connectivity. He used the illustration of Indian villages.
The prime minister observed, “Our villages are becoming centres of tourism,” underscoring how outlying villages are now making a name for themselves in the tourism industry as a result of their expanding infrastructure. He emphasised the need of supporting enterprises like homestays, small hotels, and restaurants while mentioning that the Central Government has launched the Vibrant Village Program for the border communities.