The Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a unique tourist train for the Indian diaspora, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 9, the day when Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa in 1915. The state-of-the-art tourist train was introduced in collaboration with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) under the Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
This specialised train is tailored for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) aged 45 to 65, offering them a unique, hassle-free and immersive journey through some of the country’s most iconic tourism and religious sites. The three-week long journey will start from the Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi and travel to locations such as Ayodhya, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar and Agra.
There are 156 seats available on the Pravasi Bharatiya Express. The MEA said that the government will pay for all of the costs associated with the train tour. Additionally, they will cover 90 per cent of qualifying participants' return airfare from their home countries to India; travellers will only be responsible for the remaining 10 per cent. According to the tour itinerary, participants will stay in 4-star or similar hotels.
The launch was part of the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention from January 8-10 which is being organised to foster greater engagement with the Indian diaspora. The theme of this year’s convention is “Diaspora’s Contribution to a Viksit Bharat,” and it will feature five plenary sessions covering topics such as diaspora youth leadership, women’s leadership and sustainable development.
Ahead of the three-day convention, security arrangements were tightened in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Around 2,700 police personnel and 1,200 central forces were expected to be deployed to ensure a smooth operation and safety.
(With inputs from multiple news reports)
