A five-member team of the World Bank officials was in the city to survey the ongoing development works under Jawaharlal Nehru Uraban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and the present condition of the tourist places at Sarnath along with the prospect of developing a Buddhist circuit to promote tourism in the city.
The team, including two Indian members, held meetings with the DM, regional tourism officer (RTO) and the deputy superintending archaeologist on Tuesday to discuss different issues regarding tourism development in the region.
Recently, an initiative, Pro-poor tourism development programme, has been taken by the state tourism department by focusing on Buddhist Circuit and Agra-Braj Corridor in a bid to use tourism as an anti-poverty tool and simultaneously increasing the revenue generation. According to RTO, Ravindra Mishra, the project, apart from providing better experiences to tourists, will also provide better employment opportunities to handicraft and handloom weavers and other traditional artisans.
It is worth to mention here that the World Bank is to provide a fund of Rs 1,700 crore for the development of major centres on the Buddhist circuit including Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shrawasti along with the development of Agra and Mathura. The state government has also planned to invest Rs 500 crore in this mega project.
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