Centre keen to promote Sufi circuit in Gujarat

Union tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahay on Wednesday announced that a Sufi tourism circuit would be developed in Gujarat on the lines of Jain and Buddhist tourism circuits.
Laying the foundation stone for 'Mahaparipath', a mega tourism project at the Kabirwad on the bank of River Narmada in Bharuch district, Sahay announced an allocation of Rs150 crore for Dwarka, Porbandar and Kabirwad.

He said that the central government would allocate an additional Rs50 crore over and above the amount allocated for the Kabirwad project and an additional Rs25 crore for Dwarka and Porbandar each.

Kabirwad got its name from the famous Sufi saint, Kabir, while Dwarka is famous as Lord Krishna's land and Porbandar as Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace.

Interacting with media-persons in Ahmedabad, Sahay said the Sufi tradition is a great cultural heritage of India and the Centre wants to develop the Sufi circuit as a symbol of all religions. "When people come to India, they do not wish to see Las Vegas. It is our culture and heritage that is our strength and so the Centre has decided to develop these tourism circuits," he said.

He expressed interest in developing many more tourist places in Gujarat in collaboration with the Gujarat government. Sahay emphasised that funds given to any state to promote tourism is an effort to increase the number of tourists visiting India.

He said that, currently, only 0.5% of the global tourist traffic visits India. We have to take that to 1% of the global tourist traffic, he said.

He said further said that he had also proposed a Sardar tourism circuit on the lines of the Gandhi tourism circuit as it is important to inform people about Sardar Patel's life.

State minister for tourism Jaynarayan Vyas said the Gujarat government will work hard to meet the targets set for them. "The amount given to Gujarat - Rs 200 crore - is not a small amount. The state government will work with the Centre as it is a national agenda," he said.

Leader of opposition in the Gujarat assembly, Shaktisinh Gohil, said that the centre had given the fund at the insistence of Ahmed Patel, political advisor to Congress president, Sonia Gandhi.