Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday flagged off 4 new Vande Bharat Express trains of the country from his parliamentary constituency Varanasi. On this occasion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel, Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar and Minister in-charge Suresh Khanna were present with him.
The new trains include Banaras-Khajuraho, Lucknow-Saharanpur, Firozpur-Delhi and Ernakulam-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express. With the start of trains on these routes in India, now More than 160 Vande Bharat trains Has come into operation.
During the program, PM Modi also interacted with children in the new Banaras-Khajuraho Vande Bharat train and told them about the role of railways in India’s development. He said, “Now the pilgrimage sites of India are being connected to the Vande Bharat Network. This is a symbol of connecting our cultural heritage with the progress of modern India.”
The Prime Minister said that there is also an economic aspect to these visits. “Last year, 11 crore devotees came to Kashi. After the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, more than 6 crore devotees have reached there so far. This has given a new impetus not only to tourism but also to the economy of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
PM Modi’s Varanasi Vande Bharat program clearly indicated that the Central Government is working rapidly towards promoting pilgrimage tourism and economic development together.