IRCTC Launches Ambedkar Circuit Tourist Train From Delhi Under Bharat Gaurav Yatra Initiative

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A special tourist train that will take passengers to cities associated with social reformer B R Ambedkar across the country was flagged off on Friday from Delhi, marking his 132nd birth anniversary. The Bharat Gaurav tourist train tour on Ambedkar Circuit was flagged off by Union Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy and Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar from the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station.

The special train will take passengers on a seven nights and eight days tour and include key sites in Maharashtra and Bihar. This Bharat Gaurav tourist train aims to give all the passengers a glimpse of the life and legacy of Bharat Ratna, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Reddy said.

The tourism minister said the train also aims to promote domestic tourism and the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'. He said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has "developed the sites related to Babasaheb Ambedkar not only in India but also in London."

The government has taken many steps to promote the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar in today's world, Reddy said. The minister later also tweeted pictures from the ceremony. "Reminisching the life & legacy of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. Flagged off the first Baba Saheb Ambedkar Yatra - Bharat Gaurav Train at Nizamuddin Railway Station in Delhi, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti," he tweeted.

"Ambedkar Yatra is one of many initiatives of the @NarendraModi government to commemorate his legacy and pay tribute to his indelible contributions to the country's progress," he wrote on the microblogging site.

Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, said the Bharat Gaurav train is an "effective step" to promote 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat' under "Dekho Apna Desh.".

He also said that Babasaheb faced very challenging situations in his life, and his life journey to empower the last man in the hierarchy and remove discrimination based on caste is very inspiring.

Bharat Gaurav, a tourist train launch, is in line with the centra government initiative "Dekho Apna Desh" to promote special interest circuits in domestic tourism, the tourism ministry said in a statement.

Babasaheb worked all his life for equality and fraternity, and today the train is representative of that equality, and the passengers travelling will come back with many memories and knowledge about the principles of Babasaheb Ambedkar, it said. 

The statement said that the IRCTC, in association with the Ministry of Tourism, is operating its first tour on the Ambedkar circuit on an eight-day special tour that started from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station on Friday.

The Ambedkar yatra will include a visit to prominent places associated with the life of the social reformer,like New Delhi, Mhow, and Nagpur, while sacred Buddhist sites like Sanchi, Sarnath, Gay, a and Rajgir, and Nalanda are also on the itinerary, it said.

The tourist train first halted at New Delhi Railway Station, from where tourists were taken on a visit to the Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial by buses, the ministry said. The next stop of the train will be at Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow), his birthplace (Bhim Janam Bhoomi). Then it will move to Nagpur Railway Station, where tourists will proceed to visit Deekshabhoomi, a consecrated monument of Navayana Buddhism, it added.

The train will depart from Nagpur for Sanchi. The sightseeing at Sanchi comprises the Sanchi Stupa and other Buddhist sites. After Sanchi, Varanasi will be the next destination. The visit to Sarnath and Kashi Vishwanath temple will be a part of the sightseeing.

Gaya is the next and the last destination that the train arrives at on the sixth day of the journey. The holy site of Bodhgaya is where tourists visit the famous Mahabodhi Temple and other monasteries. The next day the tourists proceed for sightseeing at Rajgir and Nalanda in Bihar by road. Buddhist sites and the ruins at Nalanda are the key sites.

The ministry said that the train will then depart from Gaya for New Delhi, bringing the circuit tour to an end. The tourist train is fitted with a well-equipped pantry car for rustling up freshly made vegetarian meals for tourists. It said that an infotainment system, CCTV cameras, and security guard services should also be available on board, it said.