Ambedkar Circuit
Source: Indian Express
GS II: Constitution of India and Indian polity
What is discussed under Ambedkar Circuit?
- What is the Ambedkar Circuit?
- Issues Related to Ambedkar Circuit
- Other Tourism Circuits
Why in News?
The Central Government has designed a unique tourism circuit including five significant Dr. B.R. Ambedkar locations, including his birthplace Mhow, Delhi, where he died, and London where he studied.
What is the Ambedkar Circuit?
- The Ambedkar Circuit, or Panchteerth, was initially suggested by the government in 2016.
- The Panchteerth would include:
Photo by Rutu Bhavsar on Unsplash - Janma Bhoomi: Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow
- Shiksha Bhoomi: where he stayed while studying in the UK
- Deeksha Bhoomi: in Nagpur, where he embraced Buddhism
- Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi: the site of his demise in Delhi
- Chaitya Bhoomi: the site of his cremation in Mumbai
- The government hopes to follow in the footsteps of Ambedkar by improving the connection to four of these locations with a special AC train.
- The goal is to attract tourists in addition to the Dalit community, who often visit these sites on pilgrimage.
- Meals, ground transportation, and admission to the locations are all included in the trip.
Issues Related to Ambedkar Circuit
- Several Dalit scholars and Ambedkarites stated that the five locations do not honour Ambedkar’s true legacy and were picked to fit into the government’s “localised and patriotic” narrative.
- Critics argue that a number of other sites were neglected, including:
- The Raigarh district of Maharashtra, where Dr Ambedkar led the Mahad Satyagraha.
- Pune, where he held the first negotiations with Mahatma Gandhi in Yerwada jail.
- Sri Lanka, where he attended a Buddhist conclave.
- Kolhapur, where in March 1920, Chatrapati Shahuji Maharaj, declared Dr Ambedkar to be the actual leader of India’s oppressed sections.
Other Tourism Circuits
- In 2014-15, the government identified 15 tourism circuits via the Swadesh Darshan initiative.
- Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage, North East, Himalayan, Sufi, Krishna, Rural, Tribal, and Tirthankar Circuits are among the others besides the Ramayana and Buddhist Circuits.
- The Ramayana, Buddhist, and North East Circuits are already operational, and Ambedkar will be the fourth.
- In terms of circuit development, till March 2022, 76 projects totalling Rs 5,445 crore have been sanctioned in these 15 circuits.
Significance of train partnership
- The formation of special circuits allows them to better focus on the entire development of all theme-related locations, including infrastructure, road and rail connectivity, and tourist amenities.
- However, from the perspective of a visitor, not everyone visits all of the locations associated with a circuit in one trip.
- Train partnerships have been created to shift this travel pattern so that visitors can board and complete the full route in one trip.
- Since each circuit comprises more than one state, they examine statistics on the number of visitors visiting certain locations on a circuit on a regular basis.
- For the development of these theme-based tourist circuits, the Union Ministry of Tourism has allocated 3,000 unique train carriages to the Ministry of Railways.
- IRCTC conducted a special 14-coach train on the Ramayana Circuit earlier this year, featuring air-conditioned three-tier coaches for passengers, as well as a pantry car, a restaurant car, and a separate carriage for train employees.
Daily Current Affairs: Click Here