Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday remotely flagged off the Pravasi Bharatiya Express, a state-of-the-art tourist train for the Indian diaspora, during the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Bhubaneswar.
Designed exclusively for diaspora members, the train is part of the Pravasi Teertha Darshan Yojana, a collaboration between the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
Over a three-week journey, the train will visit multiple destinations across India, including key tourist and religious sites.
It was launched on Thursday to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa on January 9, 1915.
Departing from Nizamuddin Railway Station in New Delhi, the train will stop at Ayodhya, Patna, Gaya, Varanasi, Mahabalipuram, Rameswaram, Madurai, Kochi, Goa, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Ajmer, Pushkar, and Agra. It has a capacity of 156 passengers.
For the inaugural journey, Indian embassies worldwide invited applications, prioritizing Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) from low-income backgrounds.
According to a statement from the ministry, it will cover all expenses for the tour and 90 percent of return airfare for eligible participants from their countries of origin to India, leaving them to bear only 10 percent of airfare costs. Accommodations will be provided in 4-star or equivalent hotels as per the itinerary.
(With IANS inputs)
