Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah on Saturday laid the foundation stone for border tourism development work at Tanot temple complex adjacent to India-Pakistan international border, which lies around 120 km from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan.
The Home Minister laid the foundation stone of the project as part of his two-day visit to Rajasthan. He reached Jaisalmer on Friday evening.
Tanot Mandir Complex Project is being started by the Union Ministry of Tourism, under the Border Tourism Development Program.
An amount of Rs 17 crore 67 lakh has been approved by the Government of India for the Tanot Mandir Complex project. Under this project, a waiting room, amphitheatre, interpretation centre, room for children and other necessary facilities will be developed to promote tourism.
This project of the Ministry of Tourism will develop areas of Tanot and Jaisalmer adjoining the India-Pakistan border and increase employment opportunities in the border area.
Director General Border Security Force Pankaj Kumar Singh, Additional Director General (Western Command) P. Ramashastri, Inspector General (Rajasthan Frontier) David Lalringa, Economic Advisor of the Ministry of Tourism Gyan Bhushan and other officers were present at the event.
In the 1965 India-Pakistan War, thousands of bomb shells were dropped by Pakistan in the Tanot Rai Mata Temple Complex but none of them were detonated by the miracle of Tanot Mata.
Since 1965, the BSF is taking charge of the worship and arrangement of this temple. The BSF operates this temple through trust and every morning and evening Mata's 'Aarti and Bhajan Sandhya' are organized in which thousands of devotees come from different states of the country.
During the India-Pakistan Longewala War of 1971, brave soldiers of the BSF played an important and decisive role at Longewala Post.
On December 4-5 last year also, the Home Minister visited Tanot temple and took stock of the tourism prospects there as well as boosted the morale of the soldiers by taking night rest at other border posts.
( With inputs from ANI )
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