Sarnath will be developed as Buddhist tourism hub, Union minister says

CHENNAI: Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma on Tuesday said Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh would be developed as a hub of Buddhist tourism in the country.
Addressing a session in Sarnath organised as part of the International Buddhist Conclave-2016, the minister said, “India is the seat of spiritual tourism, and the government of India and government of Uttar Pradesh are committed to developing Buddhist circuits.”
The International Buddhist Conclave-2016 was inaugurated in New Delhi on October 2.
The minister stated that efforts would be made to link Sarnath with other Buddhist sites through air, rail and road, an official statement said.
The minister said the ministry of tourism was on the verge of sanctioning Rs 99.97 crore for infrastructure development of the Buddhist circuit covering Saravasti, Kapilvastu and Kushinagar.
In his address, Union tourism secretary Vinod Zutshi said India was prepared for developing a trans-border Buddhist circuit across ASEAN & SAARC countries to enhance movement of pilgrims in the region from other parts of the world.