Tag Archives: Prayagraj

To provide a glimpse into the spiritual essence of Prayagraj, the host city for the upcoming Mahakumbh 2025, Uttar Pradesh Tourism has organised a ‘Mahakumbh 2025 Prelude’ in New Delhi. Scheduled to be held from 14 January to 26 February 2025 in Prayagraj, the event is expected to draw over 40 crore devotees from across the globe. The event was graced by Union Minister of Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Uttar Pradesh’s Minister of Tourism and Culture, Jaiveer Singh and dignitaries from various ministries, ambassadors, and high commissioners from several countries, along with senior officials from the central and state governments. Addressing the event, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Tourism Minister, Govt of India, said, “We see the Mahakumbh as an opportunity for cultural exchange.” He invited global tourists to experience the world’s largest spiritual gathering by saying “If you wish to explore India, come to Mahakumbh.” Highlighting the festival’s inclusivity and diverse offerings, Jaiveer Singh, Tourism Minister, Uttar Pradesh, said, “We aim to offer something for everyone at Mahakumbh 2025, whether it’s heritage walks, water sports, or helicopter rides.” The event’s primary objective was to highlight the cultural, spiritual, and infrastructural preparations underway for this iconic gathering.

Ahead of the Mahakumbh-2025, the new policy of star classification of hotels and resorts which was introduced in December 2023 by Yogi Adityanath government to promote the tourism industry in Uttar Pradesh will now be implemented in Prayagraj to boost tourism. The system will classify hotels based on their quality, services and guest experience, thereby boosting tourism.

Underway from January 15 in Prayagraj, Kumbh Mela is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, says a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report. Although the Kumbh Mela is spiritual and religious in nature, the economic activities associated with it generate employment for over six lakh workers across various sectors, CII said. The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for the 50-day Kumbh Mela this time, thrice the budget of the Maha Kumbh in 2013. The hospitality sector aims at employing 2,50,000 people, airlines and airports around 1,50,000 and tour operators around 45,000. The employment numbers in eco-tourism and medical tourism are being estimated at 85,000, says a CII study. Apart from this, there will be around 55,000 new jobs in the unorganised sector comprising tour guides, taxi drivers, interpreters, volunteers, etc. This will lead to increase in income levels for government agencies and individual traders. Kumbh attracts foreign tourists from countries like Australia, the UK, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, New Zealand, Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. The ‘mela’ is expected to generate a revenue of Rs 1.2 lakh crore for Uttar Pradesh, while neighbouring states like Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh will also benefit from the enhanced revenue generation with many national and foreign tourists expected to explore other destinations. Rajesh Agarwal, state Finance Minister, said, “The UP government has allocated Rs 4,200 crore for 2019 Kumbh Mela. The previous state government had spent around Rs 1,300 crore for the Maha Kumbh, which was held in 2013.” Source: PTI

Indian Railways is planning to seal stations just like airports and passengers would be advised to arrive 15-20 minutes before scheduled departure of trains to complete the process of security check. Arun Kumar, Director General, RPF, told PTI, “The security plan has already been put in motion in Prayagraj, in anticipation of the Kumbh Mela, and at Hoobly railway station in Karnataka with a blueprint for 202 more stations ready for implementation. “The plan is to seal the stations. It is primarily about identifying openings and to determine how many can be closed. There are areas which will be closed through permanent boundary walls, others will be manned by RPF personnel and some will have collapsible gates.” He further added, “At each entry point, there will be random security checks. However, unlike at airports, passengers need not come hours in advance, but just 15-20 minutes ahead of their departure times to ensure that they are not delayed because of the security process.” Kumar said that while security will increase, presence of security personnel will not. “If we are inventing in technology, then manpower requirement will reduce,” he said. These steps are a part of a security plan under the Integrated Security System (ISS) which was approved in 2016 to strengthen surveillance mechanism at 202 railway stations. Source: PTI