New Delhi: Union Tourism Minister G Krishan Reddy and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar on Friday flagged off Bharat Gaurav Tourist train to mark the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi.
Addressing the gathering, Tourism Minister G Krishan Reddy said that the Bharat Gaurav Tourist train will not only showcase India's rich cultural heritage but also the life of B R Ambedkar. He added that the train will also promote tourism.
Mr Reddy said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Government has developed Panchteerth, five place associated with Dr Ambedkar.
Speaking at the event Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar said the train journey is a great step to promote the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Ek Bharat Shararat Bharat. He said that Dr Ambedkar had fought social discrimination throughout his life to promote harmony in the society.
The IRCTC has proposed to run Ambedkar Yatra special tour by Bharat Gaurav Tourist train covering the prominent places associated with life of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar and the Buddhist heritage to give a holistic experience to the tourists about India's cultural Heritage.
During the 8-day tour, the train will
cover cities including, New Delhi, Mhow, Nagpur, Varanasi and sacred Buddhist sites like Sanchi, Sarnath, Gayaand Rajgir and Nalanda.
The train with ten AC III passenger coaches has the capacity to accommodate a total of 600 tourists, out of which 380 seats are booked for this journey.
The fully AC train will comprise of eleven AC III coaches, one pantry car and two SLR's. Coupled with modern state of art, the tourists have options to board and deboard the train at Hazrat Nizamuddin, Mathura and Agra Cantt stations in the tour.
The train has been fitted with an infotainment system for the entertainment of the passenger as well as for public announcements.
The train has enhanced security features like CCTV cameras, electronic safes, and dedicated guards appointed for each coach. The Ministry of Railways has launched Bharat Gaurav Trains initiatives in February 2021 with the objective to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world.
The theme-based tourist circuit trains, Bharat Gaurav Train is in line with the Government of India initiative “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” and DekhoApnaDesh to promote domestic tourism.