4 Years of Modi govt: Celebrating 'unity in diversity'

Culture and creativity manifest themselves in almost all economic, social and other activities. A country as diverse as India is symbolized by the plurality of its culture. The mandate of the Ministry of Culture revolves around the functions like preservation and conservation of our cultural heritage and promotion of all forms of art and culture, both tangible and intangible.

The Ministry's task is to develop and sustain ways and means through which the creative and aesthetic sensibilities of the people remain active and dynamic. The functional spectrum of this Ministry is wide, ranging from generating cultural awareness at grassroots level to promoting cultural exchanges at international level.

In order to achieve these objectives, the Ministry has taken various initiatives:

AADARSH SMAARAK: 25 ASI monuments named as Aadarsh Smaarak to promote tourist facilities 75 more Adarsh Monuments protected by ASI have been identified and included in the list of "Adarsh Smarak" and the same are also being included in 'Swachh Paryatan Mobile App' launched by the Ministry of Tourism.

DEDICATED TOURIST TRAINS: Jyotirling circuit, Sukhmangal circuit ( Bengaluru-Madurai) and Dakshin Dham Circuit

E-TICKETING

• There are 116 ticketed monuments and 32 museums under the protection of ASI (Archaeological Survey of India). E-ticketing facility has been launched in coordination with Canara Bank with the aim of providing online booking facility for visitors.
• Moreover, the facility is proving to be less expensive when
• Compared to manual ticketing system which was prevalent earlier. Portal: http://asi.payumoney.com/#/
• The e- Ticket sales has been increased by 10 times and the revenue increased by 60 times from 9th October, 2016 to 8th November, 2016.

EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT' SCHEME: India is a unique nation, whose fabric has been woven by diverse linguistic, cultural and religious threads , held together into a composite national identity by a rich history of cultural evolution, coupled with a rousing freedom struggle that was built around the tenets of non-violence and justice. The spirit of mutual understanding amidst a shared history has enabled a special unity in diversity , which stands out as a tall flame of nationhood that needs to be nourished and cherished into the future.

The idea of a sustained and structured cultural connect between denizens of different regions was mooted by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the Rashtriya Ekta Divas held on 31st October, 2015, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Hon'ble Prime Minister propounded that cultural diversity is a joy that ought to be celebrated through mutual interaction & reciprocity between people of different States and UTs so that a common spirit of understanding resonates throughout the country.

Every State and UT in the country would be paired with another State/UT for a year, during which they would carry out a structured engagement with one another in the spheres of language, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, tourism etc.

For example, Andhra Pradesh is paired with Punjab for the year 2017. During the year, Punjabis would attempt to learn key words in Telugu , a few Telugu books would be translated into Punjabi & vice-versa, Andhraites would hold food festivals offering Punjabi dishes, Punjabis would perform Andhra folk dances, while Andhraites would perform Bhangra at staged events etc. This pattern of cultural adoption of the partner State/UT would be followed by all States and UTs .

All the 36 States/UTs in India have been paired for an entire year. The paired States/UTs would sign MoUs with each other, delineating a set of activities that they would carry out through the year. An activity calendar for each pair would be prepared through mutual consultation , paving the way for a year long process of mutual engagement.

Such interaction between different segments of the population of each pair of States /UTs at the cultural level, would generate the vibrance of understanding & appreciation amongst the people and forge mutual bonding, thus securing an enriched value system of unity in the nation.
The broad objectives of the initiative are as follows

1. To CELEBRATE the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country;
2. To PROMOTE the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States;
3. To SHOWCASE the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity
4. TO ESTABLISH long-term engagements and,
5. TO CREATE an environment which promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.

Key Themes for Interaction:

• To celebrate the idea of India as a nation wherein different cultural units across varied geographies coalesce and interact with each other, this glorious manifestation of diverse cuisine, music, dance, theatre, movies & films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals, painting, sculpture etc. will enable people to imbibe the innate chord of binding and brotherhood.
• To make our people aware about the seamless integral hull of the Modern Indian State spread across a vast landmass on whose firm foundations, the geo-political strength of the country is ensured to benefit one and all.
• To impress upon people at large about the increasing inter-connectedness between the constituents of various cultures and traditions, which is so vital for the spirit of nation building.
• To induce a sense of responsibility & ownership for the nation as a whole through these close cross-cultural interactions as it intends to build up the inter-dependence matrix unequivocally.

INCREDIBLE INDIA 2.0:

The government is revamping its strategy to market India as a preferred destination for both foreign as well as domestic tourists, with an eye on doubling traffic from both segments. A fresh Incredible India 2.0 campaign, backed by an interactive new website on India's tourism hotspots was launched in 2017 on World Tourism Day.

The President launched the "Incredible India 2.0 Campaign"; 'Adopt A Heritage' Project and new Incredible India Website on 27th September, 2017.

• Campaign marks a shift from the present generic promotions being undertaken across the world, to market specific promotional plans and product specific creatives, with greater focus on digital presence and social media.
• The Incredible India 2.0 Campaign is being released in the prime existing markets as well as important potential markets.
• Niche tourism products like Heritage Tourism, Adventure Tourism, Cruise Tourism, Rural Tourism, Wellness & Medical Tourism, MICE, Golf, etc. are being promoted through the Incredible India 2.0 Campaign.