NEW DELHI: With the Dalit icon’s birthday falling on April 14, the BJP-led government is set to make yet another announcement with regard to Dr B R Ambedkar. The new announcement will be of the ‘Ambedkar circuit’ — the “world class” tourist package proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The PMO has asked the Tourism Ministry to give final touches to the Ambedkar circuit, which includes all the key spots connected to Ambedkar’s life, on an emergency basis.
“We have been told to speed up the scheme as the PM is keen to make an announcement on Ambedkar’s birthday which falls on April 14,” said a Tourism Ministry official.
The Ambedkar circuit will cover Mhow, Ambedkar’s birth place, Nagpur, where he converted to Buddhism, 26 Alipur Road, Delhi, where he lived during his last years and Dadar in Maharashtra where he was cremated. Once the Tourism Ministry announces the Ambedkar circuit, it will find a prominent place on the country’s tourism map.
“There is a renewed interest in Ambedkar globally, especially among serious tourists,” said the official. According to him, the UN decision to hold a special session of Ambedkar will only further it. “The Centre is keen to promote this circuit in a big way both nationally and internationally,” he said. In the last year, the Centre has inaugurated four Ambedkar memorials. Modi called himself an “Ambedkar bhakt” during the Ambedkar Memorial lecture and used the opportunity to establish a link between Ambedkar and himself.