Bhubaneswar, Jan 9 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday virtually flagged off the inaugural journey of the special state-of-the-art tourist train, Pravasi Bharatiya Express, from Janata Maidan, the venue of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention here.
This special tourist train is designed exclusively for the Indian diaspora.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi noted that the flagging off of the special train coincides with the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa in 1915.
He added that Mahatma Gandhi, on this day in 1915, returned to India after a prolonged stay abroad.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Express has been specifically designed and built for the Indian diaspora, particularly for individuals aged between 45 and 65 years.The train will travel to multiple destinations across the country, including prominent tourist and religious sites, over a period of three weeks.
The destinations include Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra.
To connect the Indian diaspora to their roots, this three-week-long tour is being organized under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana (PTDY) scheme, in collaboration with the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
The train can accommodate up to 156 passengers.
UNI DP KK