Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday referred to the Ganga Vilas Cruise launch as the beginning of a "new era of tourism" for Kashi.
The Chief Minister attended the launch of the world's longest cruise tour from Varanasi to Dibrugarh and the opening ceremony of Tent city on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi.
Inaugurated at the Ravidas Ghat, this cruise will travel a distance of 3,200 kilometers from Kashi to Dibrugarh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also virtually present in the ceremony, informed the government through a release on Friday.
Starting his address with the chant of Har Har Mahadev, the Chief Minister pointed out, "Kashi, the oldest city, is world-famous as the spiritual and cultural capital of India. Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Kashi has presented itself on the global stage in a new form while maintaining its ancient soul."
Stressing the importance of the waterway, the Chief Minister said, "Today is very historic for Kashi as well as for Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Assam. Being a landlocked state, Uttar Pradesh used to yearn for the days when exporting its agricultural and Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) products to outside markets isn't so expensive. This constantly caused traders to worry. The state expresses gratitude to the Prime Minister for the work done in the last three years to connect Kashi with the eastern port."
The BJP leader claimed that with the formation of the Vishwanath Dham, Kashi has managed to attract a large number of devotees and tourists to the city. According to him, "The advance booking of the Ganga Vilas River Cruise for the next two years is an example of new possibilities. As Kashi moves towards a new identity, the vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat' is also gaining strength."
Adityanath emphasised that the success of Prayagraj Kumbh in 2019 and the launch of Ganga Vilas Cruise shows the victory of 'Namami Ganga'.
Addressing the success of the 'Namami Ganga' project, Aditynath claimed the lives more than "1600 boatmen of Kashi have changed as the government connected the boatmen with CNG making them self-reliant."
Apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was virtually present at the event organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal participated in Varanasi.
In addition, the Chief Minister of Assam Hemant Biswa Sharma, and Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav joined virtually. Union Minister of State Shripad Naik, Shantanu Thakur from Haldia also joined through a virtual medium. Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal gave the welcome speech.
During the programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and inaugurated schemes worth over Rs 1000 crore. He inaugurated the Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal and four community jetties of Uttar Pradesh. He also laid the foundation stone of five community jetties of Bihar.
He also laid the foundation stone of the Ship Repair Center at Pandu in Assam and the elevated road connecting Pandu Terminal to the National Highway and inaugurated the Maritime Skill Center for North East in Guwahati.
( With inputs from ANI )
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