Bihar's historical and spiritual sites to be enhanced with assistance and allotment of funds to attract tourists, said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
The Bodhi tree and the Mahabodhi temple complex at Bodhgaya, Bihar. Image: Shutterstock
At the Union Budget 2024, a majority of the announcements related to tourism were made for Bihar, with an aim to boost travel to historical and spiritual sites in the city. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Nalanda will be supported as a tourist centre, and efforts will be dedicated towards revamping the historic Nalanda University.
Further, in order to enhance tourism to Bihar’s Vishnupad Temple situated in Gaya and the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, she announced allocating funds to improve the corridors leading to these temples, which will be, “…supported, modelled on the successful Kashi Vishwanath Temple corridor, to transform them into world-class pilgrimage and tourist destinations”, she said.
Additionally, the minister announced a strategy to develop Gaya city as an industrial hub with the government’s focus on measures to improve connectivity and tourism in the locality.
As part of this plan, several infrastructure projects have been allocated Rs26,000 crore. These include the Patna-Purnea expressway, the Buxar-Bhagalpur highway, and a two-lane bridge over the Ganga river in Buxar, along with the Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbhanga corridor.
Rajgir, an ancient city famous in Bihar, known for its Jain temple and hot springs, will also undergo development to attract tourists and promote wellness tourism.