PM opens Circuit House in Somnath

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while unveiling the new Circuit House at Somnath in Gujarat, recently stressed on the importance of tourism and said it can be boosted by four factors, that is, cleanliness, convenience, time and thinking. He also advised people to learn from ‘our past, places of culture and faith like Somnath’.

Nisha Verma

At the unveiling of the new Circuit House in Somnath, Gujarat, through video conferencing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Today, when in the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we wish to learn from our past, places of culture and faith like Somnath are at the centre of that.”

Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel also took part in the inauguration ceremony, along with state ministers, MPs, Temple Trust members and many others.

PM Modi said that tourism plays a pivotal role in the economies of many countries in the world. “We have infinite possibilities like this in every state and in every field,” he said. He also narrated a virtual Bharat Darshan of spiritual destinations and said, “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 the development of a large area.”

He highlighted that in the last seven years, India has left no stone unturned to realise the potential of tourism. “Today, the development of tourist centres is not just a part of government schemes, but a campaign of public participation. The country’s heritage sites and the development of our cultural heritage are great examples of this.”

He also shed light on measures like 15 theme-based tourist circuits, including Ramayana Circuit and Buddha Circuit, which even have special trains. The PM said that a special train is being started from Delhi for the Divya Kashi Yatra as well.

PM Modi also stressed that the country is looking at tourism in a holistic way. “In today’s time, four things are necessary to develop tourism — the 4S — Swachhta (cleanliness), Suvidha (convenience), Samay (time) and Soch (thinking). First is cleanliness. Earlier, our tourist places and holy pilgrimage places were also unhygienic. Today, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has changed this picture. The second factor in promoting tourism is convenience. However, the scope of facilities should not be limited to tourist places only. The facilities of transport, internet, correct information and medical arrangements should be of all kinds, and all-round work is being done in the country in this direction. Time is the third important aspect of increasing tourism, as today people want to cover maximum space in a minimum amount of time. The fourth and very important aspect to boosting tourism is our thinking, which needs to be innovative and modern. At the same time, how proud we are of our ancient heritage matters a lot,” he elaborated.

He said that after independence, the development was only for a few, but now the country is building new places of pride and giving them grandeur.  “Babasaheb Memorial has been built in Delhi and the APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial is in Rameshwaram. Similarly, the places associated with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Shyamji Krishna Varma have been given due stature,” he informed.

Citing the example of Statue of Unity, the PM highlighted the potential of recently created tourist destinations. “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.