Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Circuit House in Somnath, Gujarat via video conferencing. Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, state ministers, Members of Parliament, Temple Trust members were among those present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister congratulated the Government of Gujarat, the Somnath Temple Trust and devotees for the inauguration of Somnath Circuit House. He pointed out that in the peak and the top of the temple the devotees will feel the consciousness of India standing proud despite the ravages of time. Dwelling on the challenging journey of the Indian Civilization and circumstances of hundreds of years of slavery, The Prime Minister remarked that the circumstances in which Somnath temple was destroyed, and the circumstances in which the temple was renovated by the efforts of Sardar Patel, both carry a big message. “Today, when in the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we wish to learn from our past, places of culture and faith like Somnath are in the centre of that”, the Prime Minister pointed out.
He said that tourism plays a major role in the economy of many countries of the world. “We have infinite possibilities like this in every state and in every field”, he said. The Prime Minister narrated a virtual Bharat Darshan of spiritual destinations and listed Somnath, Dwarka, Rann of Kutch and Statue of Unity in Gujarat; Places like Ayodhya, Mathura, Kashi, Prayag, Kushinagar and Vindhyachal in Uttar Pradesh; Devbhumi Uttarakhand has Badrinath Kedarnath; Himachal has Jwala Devi, Naina Devi; Entire North East is replete with the divine and natural glow; Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu; Puri in Odisha; Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh; Siddhi Vinayak in Maharashtra; Sabarimala in Kerala. “These places represent our national unity and the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. Today, the country also sees them as a strong source of prosperity. Through their development we can catalyse development of a big area”, he said.
The Prime Minister remarked that in the last 7 years, the country has worked relentlessly to realize the potential of tourism. “Today, development of tourist centres is not just a part of the government schemes, but a campaign of public participation. The country's heritage sites and development of our cultural heritage are great examples of this”. He listed measures like 15 theme based tourist circuits. For example, in the Ramayana Circuit, places related to Bhagwan Ram can be visited. A special train has been started. The Prime Minister informed that a special train is being started from Delhi for the Divya Kashi Yatra tomorrow. Similarly the Buddha Circuit is making it easier to visit places related to Lord Buddha. Visa rules have been eased for foerign tourists and tourist destinations were given priority in the vaccination drive.
The Prime Minister said today the country is looking at tourism in a holistic way. In today's time, four things are necessary to develop tourism. First cleanliness- Earlier our tourist places, holy pilgrimage places were also unhygienic. Today Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has changed this picture. Another important factor in promoting tourism is convenience. But, the Prime Minister said, the scope of facilities should not be limited to tourist places only. The facilities of transport, internet, correct information, medical arrangements should be of all kinds. And in this direction also all-round work is being done in the country. Time is the third important aspect of increasing tourism. In this era, people want to cover maximum space in minimum time. The fourth and very important thing to increase tourism is our thinking. It is necessary for our thinking to be innovative and modern. But at the same time how proud we are of our ancient heritage, it matters a lot.
The Prime Minister said after independence, the new development was for only a few families in Delhi. But today the country is leaving behind that narrow thinking and is building new places of pride and giving them grandeur. “It is our own government that built Babasaheb Memorial in Delhi, the APJ Abdul Kalam memorial in Rameshwaram. Similarly, the places associated with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Shyamji Krishna Varma have been given due stature. Adivasi museums are also being built across the country to bring forth the glorious history of our tribal society”, the Prime Minister informed. Elaborating on the potential of the newly developed places, the Prime Minister said that despite the pandemic 75 lakh people have come to see the Statue of Unity. Such places will take our identity along with tourism to new heights, he said.
The Prime Minister advised against taking a narrow interpretation of his call for ‘vocal for local’ and said that the call includes local tourism. He reiterated his request for visiting at least 15-20 places of India before embarking on any tourism abroad.
आज, सोमनाथ सर्किट हाउस का लोकार्पण भी हो रहा है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
मैं इस महत्वपूर्ण अवसर पर गुजरात सरकार को, सोमनाथ मंदिर ट्रस्ट को, और आप सभी को हार्दिक बधाई देता हूँ: PM @narendramodi
मुझे बताया गया है कि इस भवन को इस तरह बनाया गया है कि यहाँ रुकने वाले व्यक्तियों को ‘सी व्यू’ भी मिलेगा।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
यानी, लोग जब यहाँ शांति से अपने कमरे में बैठेंगे, तो उन्हें समुद्र की लहरें भी दिखेंगी और सोमनाथ का शिखर भी नजर आएगा: PM @narendramodi
जिन परिस्थितियों में सोमनाथ मंदिर को तबाह किया गया, औऱ फिर जिन परिस्थितियों में सरदार पटेल जी के प्रयासों से मंदिर का जीर्णोद्धार हुआ, वो दोनों ही हमारे लिए एक बड़ा संदेश हैं: PM @narendramodi
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
हम दुनिया के कई देशों के बारे में सुनते हैं कि उसकी अर्थव्यवस्था में पर्यटन का योगदान कितना बड़ा है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
हमारे यहाँ तो हर राज्य में, हर क्षेत्र में ऐसी ही अनंत संभावनाएं हैं: PM @narendramodi
पिछले 7 सालों में देश ने पर्यटन की संभावनाओं को साकार करने के लिए लगातार काम किया है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
पर्यटन केन्द्रों का ये विकास आज केवल सरकारी योजना का हिस्सा भर नहीं है, बल्कि जनभागीदारी का एक अभियान है।
देश की हेरिटेज साइट्स, हमारी सांस्कृतिक विरासतों का विकास इसका बड़ा उदाहरण है: PM
पर्यटन बढ़ाने के लिए दूसरा अहम तत्व है सुविधा।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
लेकिन सुविधाओं का दायरा केवल पर्यटन स्थल तक ही सीमित नहीं होना चाहिए।
सुविधा परिवहन की, इंटरनेट की, सही जानकारी की, मेडिकल व्यवस्था की, हर तरह की होनी चाहिए।
और इस दिशा में भी देश में चौतरफा काम हो रहा है: PM @narendramodi
आज देश पर्यटन को समग्र रूप में, holistic way में देख रहा है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
आज के समय में पर्यटन बढ़ाने के लिए चार बातें आवश्यक हैं।
पहला स्वच्छता- पहले हमारे पर्यटन स्थल, पवित्र तीर्थस्थल भी अस्वच्छ रहते थे।
आज स्वच्छ भारत अभियान ने ये तस्वीर बदली है: PM @narendramodi
पर्यटन बढ़ाने का तीसरा महत्वपूर्ण पहलू है समय।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
आजकल ट्वेन्टी-ट्वेन्टी का दौर है।
लोग कम से कम समय में ज्यादा से ज्यादा स्थान कवर करना चाहते हैं: PM @narendramodi
पर्यटन बढ़ाने के लिए चौथी और बहुत महत्वपूर्ण बात है - हमारी सोच।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
हमारी सोच का innovative और आधुनिक होना जरूरी है।
लेकिन साथ ही साथ हमें अपनी प्राचीन विरासत पर कितना गर्व है, ये बहुत मायने रखता है: PM @narendramodi
ये हमारी ही सरकार है जिसने रामेश्वरम में एपीजे अब्दुल कलाम स्मारक को बनवाया।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
इसी तरह नेताजी सुभाषचंद्र बोस और श्यामजी कृष्ण वर्मा से जुड़े स्थानों को भव्यता दी गई है।
हमारे आदिवासी समाज के गौरवशाली इतिहास को सामने लाने के लिए देशभर में आदिवासी म्यूज़ियम्स भी बनाए जा रहे हैं: PM
आजादी के बाद दिल्ली में कुछ गिने-चुने परिवारों के लिए ही नव-निर्माण हुआ।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) January 21, 2022
लेकिन आज देश उस संकीर्ण सोच को पीछे छोड़कर, नए गौरव स्थलों का निर्माण कर रहा है, उन्हें भव्यता दे रहा है।
ये हमारी ही सरकार है जिसने दिल्ली में बाबा साहेब मेमोरियल का निर्माण किया: PM @narendramodi
