Bharat Gaurav tourist train flagged off on the occasion of Dr BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary

Tags: National News

Union Tourism Minister G Krishna Reddy and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Virendra Kumar flagged off the Bharat Gaurav tourist train on the occasion of 132nd birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi on 14 April.

An Overview of the News

• Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train will showcase the rich cultural heritage of India and the life of BR Ambedkar along with promoting tourism.

• The government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has developed five places associated with Dr. Ambedkar as Panchatirth.

• During the 8-day tour, the train will cover cities including New Delhi, Mhow, Nagpur, Varanasi and holy Buddhist sites like Sanchi, Sarnath, Gaya and Rajgir and Nalanda.

• The theme-based tourist circuit train, Bharat Gaurav Train, is in line with the Government of India's initiative "Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat" and Dekho Apna Desh to promote domestic tourism.

Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat:

• It was launched by the Prime Minister on 31 October 2015, the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and was later announced in the 2016–17 budget speech of the Finance Minister.

• The objective of the program is to promote mutual understanding among people of diverse cultures living in different states and union territories in India.

• Every year, each State/UT will be linked with another State/UT for people-to-people contact. Through this exchange, the knowledge of language, culture, traditions and practices of different states will enhance understanding and bonding among them, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.

• The added States/UTs will undertake a mission to enhance their cultural, educational and economic ties by engaging in a wide range of reciprocal activities covering areas such as music, drama, cuisine, language, history, tourism etc.

About Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

• His 132nd birth anniversary was celebrated as Ambedkar Jayanti in India on April 14, 2023.

• He was an Indian jurist, economist and social reformer.

• He was the first Law and Justice Minister of independent India and the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly.

Some of his notable books:

Annihilation of Caste, Buddha and his Dhamma, Who were the Shudras?, Untouchables: Who were they and why did they become Untouchables?