13 January 2023
PRIME MINISTER INAUGURATED WORLD’S LONGEST RIVER CRUISE-MV GANGA VILAS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated world’s longest river cruise-MV Ganga Vilas at Varanasi on 13 January 2023 through video conferencing.
“Those seeking spirituality will cover destinations like Kashi, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Patna Sahib and Majuli, tourists looking out for a multinational cruise experience will get the opportunity to via Dhaka in Bangladesh, and those wanting to witness the natural diversity of India will cross through Sundarbans and forests of Assam,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
The MV Ganga Vilas has started its journey from Varanasi today and will travel around 3,200 kms, visiting 50 important tourist spots including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, River Ghats, and major cities like Patna, Kolkata, Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Guwahati reaching Dibrugarh in Assam sailing across 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh.
32 Swiss tourists will be part of the maiden voyage of luxury river cruise, MV Ganga Vilas which has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated many projects and laid foundation stones for several other inland waterways projects worth more than 1000 crore rupees in the country.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the ‘Tent City’ on the banks of River Ganga at Varanasi to provide accommodation facilities and cater to the increased tourists influx in Varanasi since the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. The tourists will reach the Tent City by boats from different Ghats and the Tent City will be operational from October to June every year.