Ram Temple in Ayodhya will boost economy: Union Minister Prahlad Patel

Union Minister Prahlad Patel on Friday said the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh will boost tourism and will play a crucial role in India's quest of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy.

He said the Centre and UP government were working to speed up construction of the temple. "With the construction of Ram Temple, the tourism industry will get a boost. The Centre and the UP government are working speedily for the construction of the temple," he told reporters here.

Patel said his ministry had chalked out plans to train the guides in order to reach the goal of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy. The Union tourism minister said his ministry was also working to increase tourist footfalls at monuments in far-flung areas, for which Class XII students from villages would be groomed through online courses to become guides.

He said the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management will oversee the training for guides. He said the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was looking after 2691 monuments currently, and this number was supposed to reach 10,000 in the time to come. On the issue of separate tourism police, Patel said it was an important aspect and was being looked into.