World Tourism Day: Union Min Anurag Thakur avers India can become hub of religious tourism

On the occasion of World Tourism Day, Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said that the 'Religious tourism' sector in India is extremely wide and has a huge potential to grow. The minister is currently in Jammu and Kashmir and visited the Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple located in the Ganderbal district. While talking about the tourism sector in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A, the tourism sector received a boost as peace was restored in the region. He said that people are now visiting religious places and the number of tourists is also constantly increasing.

The Union Minister said, "The temple of Mata Kheer Bhavani is very important for religious tourism. It is not only the centre of faith for Kashmiri Pandits, but devotees from other parts of the country also visit the temple to see the goddess." Talking about religious tourism in different parts of the country Thakur added, “I personally believe that the area of religious tourism in India is large. If you see in Himachal Pradesh, there are three times more tourists than the population and out of which two-three part of that tourist are also 'religious tourists'." He further asked people to plan their trips to Kashmir, “Kashmir is a very beautiful place. Like Mata Vaishno Devi and Baba Amarnath, many people are also visiting Mata Kheer Bhavani temple. These are some places associated with religious beliefs and tourism. We have a very deep association with faiths."

Abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A

In August 2019, the Centre abolished Article 370 of the Constitution of India that gave special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and allowed the bifurcation of the region into two territories — J&K and Ladakh. Article 370 of the constitution allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have some degree of autonomy as it was within the law for the state’s government to have a separate constitution, flag and its own judicial system. Matters like foreign affairs, defence and communications remained under the central government. One of the most important rules that the Jammu and Kashmir that the government had preserved over the years was the right to permanent residency, which was only reserved for people within the state.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: PTI)