PM Modi to launch world’s longest river cruise from Varanasi to Assam on 13 January

Tags: National Economy/Finance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the world's longest river cruise, which will travel from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh on 13 January 2023. This will be the single largest river journey by a single river ship in the world.

The cruise, which has been named ‘Ganga Vilas cruise will cover 4000 Kilometers along 27 river systems, including  Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly, Brahmaputra, and West Coast Canal in 50 days. 

Route of the river cruise 

The Ganga Vilas cruise will start from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh. In Bangladesh it will cover an 1100 Kilometers route before entering India again. 

This will be possible under the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route, which has already opened trade and transit channels connecting the two countries on Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.

50 significant tourist destinations will be visited throughout the journey, including some historical monuments, the iconic Varanasi Ganga Aarti, and protected areas like Kaziranga National Park, Assam and the Sundarbans Delta in West Bengal during the cruise.

Who will operate the cruise? 

The Varanasi-Dibrugarh cruise is expected to be run on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The government’s Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed an agreement with Antara Luxury River Cruises and JM Baxi River Cruises for the initiative. The ticket price would be decided by the operators without Centre’s intervention.

Union Minister for Port, Shipping and Waterways: Sarbananda Sonowal