Culture ministry plans 'Kalagram' in Prayagraj to showcase India's heritage at Maha Kumbh

    New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The Union culture ministry has planned to set up and run a cultural village -- 'Kalagram' -- in Prayagraj to showcase the country's rich, spiritual and cultural heritage during the upcoming Maha Kumbh, Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has said.
    The Maha Kumbh will be held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.
    Interacting with mediapersons at his residence on Thursday, Shekhawat, who holds the culture and the tourism portfolios, said the culture ministry aimed to set up and run a cultural village -- 'Kalagram' -- in Prayagraj for which an area measuring 10.24 acres had been allocated at Nagvasuki.
    "A Ganga pandal with a capacity of 10,000 people will be set up by the mela authority where celebrity performances will be held," the ministry said in a statement.
    Three stage pandals with a 4,000-audience capacity each at Jhunsi, Nagvasuki and Areil, as well as a 1,000-capacity amphitheatre at Kalagram, will showcase the emerging Sangeet Natak Akademi awardees, National School of Drama productions, and zonal cultural centre ensembles, it said.
    Besides, 20 stages will be constructed throughout the city, which will be equally distributed between the Uttar Pradesh government's culture department and the culture ministry.
    Sharing data on tourists, the Union tourism ministry said the sector created 76.17 million (direct and indirect) jobs in 2022-2023, compared to 69.56 million in 2013-2014.
    In 2023, foreign exchange earnings from tourism were USD 28.07 billion against USD 19.69 billion in 2014, registering a growth of 42.53 per cent, it said.
    The number of foreign tourist arrivals in India during 2023 rose to 95 lakh from 77 lakh in 2014, registering a growth of 23.96 per cent.
    India saw 250 crore domestic tourist visits in 2023, an increase of 95.64 per cent from 123 crore in 2014, it added.
    India's ranking in the global Travel and Tourism Development Index improved from 65th in 2014 to 39th in 2024.
    In 2022, India ranked sixth globally in terms of tourism's contribution to national GDP.
    Highlighting a series of "achievements" and ongoing initiatives taken by the ministries of culture and tourism, Shekhawat said the more than 10-year tenure of the Narendra Modi government had been driven by a "steadfast commitment to realising the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and 'Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi'".
    The minister also said that under Modi's leadership, "revolutionary reforms" had taken place in the fields of culture and tourism, "benefiting Indians not only socio-economically but also intellectually".

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)