UP govt invites Telangana citizens for Kumbha Mela

​Hyderabad: The Uttar Pradesh State government asked one person from every village in Telangana to take part in the Kumbha Mela-2019. The mela would be held at Prayag Raj (erstwhile Allahabad) starting from January 15, next year. Addressing media here on Saturday, UP State Minister for Industry Development Satish Mahan and UP State Principal Secretary for Infrastructure and Industrial Development R K Singh said that Kumbha is a holy event going to take place at Prayag Raj has a special significance attached to it.

Satish Sahani said that Kumbha aptly represents a glorious tradition of the country by bringing people together and reflecting how they are connected to each other in a single string. He said that the Kumbha has been organised at four places, viz, Haridwar and Prayag Raj on the banks of the River Ganga, Ujjain on the banks of the River Kshipra and Nasik on the banks of the River Godavari. He said that the confluence of Rivers Sarawathi, Ganga and Yamuna making Prayag Raj a holy place and the festival attracts people from across the country as well as different parts of the globe.

He said Kumbha is not just a religious event but, also a spiritual, cultural as well as a festival which binds and integrates people of the entire country. Nearly, 40 million people, which is almost as much as the entire population of Telangana, are expected to converge at Prayag Raj to take a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam, on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya day, he added. The Minister said that last time 30 million people have taken holy dip on the same occasion.

A total of 15 crore pilgrim footfalls have been expected for this year Kumbha at Prayag Raj during the current year, he said. Taking note of its importance, the UP State government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is taking steps to make all necessary arrangements for the pilgrims. “The State government has earmarked an outlay of Rs 5,000 crore for the arrangements, including security, accommodation, sanitation etc., deploying modern technologies besides, Prayag Raj is undergoing a makeover to welcome people from across the world,” Satish Sahani said. This time, the State government decided to reach out to every State in the country, besides inviting the State Governors and Chief Ministers, “we are inviting every citizen of Telangana to come and take part in the great spiritual tradition of the country,” he said.

He said that the State government is also inviting Non-Resident Indians from across the globe to attend the fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas at Varanasi from January 20 to 22. The NRIs will take part in Kumbha Mela on 23 and 24 of the same month, and from there, they will be escorted to witness the Republic Day parade at New Delhi on January 26, the Minister said.

Earlier, R K Singh gave details of the arrangement being made by the State government and Prayagraj Mela Authority has been set up to ensure the continuity of development. He said that the UP has come out with 21 sectoral policies, 22nd is on the anvil, it is about electric mobility. From the cultural, spiritual, patriotic, tourism and industries, UP is fast changing for the better. BJP State president Dr K Laxman, Prashant Lahoti, chairperson, Art and Culture Committee, FICCI Telangana and Ramakant Inani, vice president, FTAPCCI were among those who spoke.