Accompanied by his wife, senior IAS officer Rashmi Singh, the chief secretary was honoured by Kashmiri Pandits at a special event at the Bhadrakali temple. Speaking on the occasion, Singh said, “The Maha Kumbh is being organised in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has invited people from across the country and around the world to participate. On behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government, we invite the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the Kumbh,” PTI reported.
Acknowledging the important contributions made by Kashmiri Pandits, Singh said, “We want to invite them to the Kumbh.” Speaking about preparations being made for the mega event, Singh explained, “A Kumbh city has been built on 4,000 hectares of land. We have been preparing for the past year and a half, with Rs 7,000 crore invested in enhancing Prayagraj’s infrastructure.”
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“We are ready to welcome 40 crore visitors over the next 40-45 days. All necessary arrangements have been made, and we particularly invite the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially those from Kashmir, to attend the Kumbh,” he elaborated and shared that Uttar Pradesh welcomed 38 crore tourists last year.
Singh highlighted the economic impact of tourism and revealed, “Our estimates show that each tourist spends between Rs 4,000 and Rs 4,500. With 40 crore expected for the Kumbh, we anticipate Rs 1.5 lakh crore in business across sectors like transport, hotels, restaurants, and food.”
He stressed on the importance of tourism for creating jobs and noted, “Tourism is one of the most vital sectors for employment. For every Rs 10 lakh invested, one job is created, whereas in manufacturing, it takes Rs 2-3 crore for one job.”
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The Chief Secretary pointed out that Uttar Pradesh boasts the most pilgrim sites for both Hinduism and Buddhism, further boosting religious tourism. Regarding the demand from Kashmiri Pandits for reservations in medical colleges, Singh assured the community that he would raise the matter with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
