Mysore Dasara to go international

Mysore, Sep 25 (UNI) The famous Dasara festivities in Mysore will be made an international event from the next year, Karnataka Tourism, Kannada and Culture, and Information Secretary I M Vittal Murthy said today.

Addressing mediapersons here, he said though the Dasara was being celebrated as a State festival, it was necessary to take this event to international standards and promote the Mysore brand. For this, it was necessary to prepare a calendar of events well in advance and list programmes and events in a website, projecting it as a cultural mega event of the State.

Thanking the authorities concerned for the impeccable Dasara arrangements, he said people were flocking the city due to the advanced publicity not only at the State level but also across the country.

Referring to tourism development in the State, Mr Murthy said the department had taken up a project to improve the roads leading to 11 tourist spots and had sought Rs 54 crore from the Government for this purpose. The department started up the work with Rs ten crore with the aim to provide basic facilities to the tourist destinations in the State.

He announced that the Department of Kannada and Culture would introduce a programme called 'Janapada Jathra' from the next month, to be held in district headquarters and tourist spots on every second Saturday and Sunday. Each and every district's cultural heritage would be highlighted during the jathra, for which the Government would spend Rs six crore untill March next.

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