Sitamarhi for religious tourism

Improving socio economic status of border districts, especially aspirational districts is one of the priorities of the government of India. An action plan is devised to lead to successful tourism in Bihar. Key priorities as well as a clear action plan to be followed by tourism authority.

Jatinder Singh, Director, PHDCCI

In these series, six webinars have been organized focusing on Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Meghalaya, Gujarat and Nagaland that received an overwhelming response from the government officials and industry stakeholders. He spoke about the challenges faced by Bihar and gaps in accessibility, transport and economic infrastructure, required by tourists, need to be addressed. Experience in collaborating on tourism between stakeholders in border areas is indispensable.

Pradeep Multani, Sr. Vice President, PHDCCI

Border tourism refers to visiting border areas to experience  diverse cultures, acquiring knowledge for trade or meeting local communities living on the border. Improving socio economic status of border districts are one of the priorities for the GoI. An action plan for successful tourism in Bihar, is the interdependence between MoT, state tourism, development boards, community participation and industry participation strategies. Key priorities and a clear action plan to be followed by tourism authority.

Satyajit Kumar Singh, Chairman, Bihar Chapter, PHDCCI

We are creating a task force with the government and all the private stakeholders to enhance the image of Bihar as a safe and secure tourist destination. Since Sitamarhi is not very well connected to other places and does not have good tourism infrastructure, it becomes very important that rapid improvement in the local infrastructure and connectivity – whether by road, rail or air – should be majorly focused to boost tourism in the district of Bihar.

Taranjot Singh, Deputy Development Commissioner, Bihar

To improve the socio economic conditions of the people of the Sitamarhi district, the district administration has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Textile for training the local people in handicrafts. The handicrafts can then be sold at popular tourist attractions. This will no doubt help in not only improving the tourist footfalls to those spots but also help in the economic development of the people in Sithamarhi district in Bihar which will benefit the local communities.

Rama Kamaraju, Senior Consultant, NITI Aayog

Sitamarhi district is like a ‘PunyaBhoomi’ and shall be visited by thousands of tourists under the Ramayana Circuit which is going to begin from November 2021.The number of tribal population is another USP. The state government can tie up with Tribal Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (TRIFED) for marketing the products made by the tribalswhich can create excellent livelihood opportunities, while showcasing their talent.

Inputs by Janice Alyosius