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Current Affairs 2023

MV Ganga Vilas - UPSC Current Affairs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world's longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas, in India. The 51-day luxury cruise will cover 3,200 kilometers across 27 river systems in five states in India and Bangladesh, visiting 50 tourist spots including world heritage sites, national parks, river ghats and major cities.

Jan 13, 2023

2 min read

On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the world's longest river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas. The luxury cruise will cover 3,200 kilometers across 27 river systems in five states in India and Bangladesh in 51 days. PM Modi emphasized the development of inland waterways in the country and the work being done on the development of 111 national water highways across 24 States.

He also inaugurated the Tent City at Varanasi and laid the foundation stones for several other inland waterways projects worth more than ₹1,000 crore on Friday virtually. The cruise has three decks, 18 suites, and a capacity of 36 tourists. It will visit 50 tourist spots, including world heritage sites, national parks, river ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh, and Guwahati in Assam. The price per day will be around ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 and overall cost of the trip will be around ₹20 lakh per passenger.

The Prime Minister had also emphasized the potential for river cruise tourism in India and the role of rivers in festivals. He also mentioned that these projects will boost tourism and employment potential in eastern India, and will bring places of tourism in North India on the world tourism map.

He also addressed the central role of the river Ganga in the lives of every Indian, and the campaign to clean the Ganga and create an environment of economic dynamism in the states it passes through. He also welcomed tourists from all parts of the world, and highlighted the cruise's spiritual, multicultural, and natural diversity experiences. He also mentioned that the cruise will create new employment opportunities for the youth of the country, and similar experiences are being prepared in other inland waterways of the country. Image: Antara Cruise

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