Finance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday remotely flagged off the inaugural journey of the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a special tourist train for the Indian diaspora.
Over the course of three weeks, the train will visit numerous tourist and religious places across India. This initiative is under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Pravasi Teertha Darshan Yojana.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Express is a one-of-a-kind, cutting-edge tourist train constructed and built expressly for the Indian diaspora, specifically those aged 45 to 65.
Starting on January 9, the train will go to numerous areas across the country, including popular tourist and religious sites, for three weeks.
The date for flagging off the special train has also been deliberately chosen by the Modi-led government. The date January 9, 2025 marks Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa to India on this date in 1915.
The train departs from Safdarjung Railway Station in New Delhi and travels the following route: New Delhi – Ayodhya – Patna – Gaya – Varanasi – Mahabalipuram – Rameswaram – Madurai – Kochi – Goa – Ekta Nagar (Kevadia) – Ajmer – Pushkar – Agra. The train can carry 156 passengers.
This tour, conducted by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), aims to connect the Indian diaspora to their roots.
Indian embassies throughout the world had requested applications from participants, with a priority given to low-income Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) who could not otherwise afford to visit India on their own.
According to a ministry statement, it will bear all expenditures for the aforementioned train excursion, as well as 90% of the return airfares for eligible people traveling from their countries of origin to India. Participants only need to pay 10% of their return flights. According to the tour program, the travelers will stay in 4-star or comparable category hotels.
Source: IANS
