Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flagged off the world’s longest river Cruise, MV Ganga Vilas, in Varanasi via video conferencing. During the event, PM Modi also inaugurated Tent City in Varanasi and laid the foundation stones for several other inland waterways projects worth over ₹1000 crores.
Watch Live | PM @narendramodi begins his address at the inauguration of MV Ganga Vilas cruise in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/gwX7W40Egk
— Prasar Bharati News Services & Digital Platform (@PBNS_India) January 13, 2023
The inaugural ceremony was held in the presence of minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath while Assam CM Hemanta Biswa Sarma and Bihar Dy. CM. Tejaswi Yadav will join the inauguration virtually.
MV Ganga Vilas is not only the world’s #LongestRiverCruise, it is also the epitome of world-class facilities and comfort. An impressive experience indeed, onboard the vessel in Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/JsDs7t3dKC
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) January 13, 2023
The MV which is 62 meters wide and 12 meters in bredth will traverse 3,200 km through five states in India and parts of Bangladesh over 51 days. It will begin its journey from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh.
Besides connecting National Waterway 1 (NW1) and National Waterway 2 (NW2), which are the Ganga and Brahmaputra Waterways, it will connect 27 river systems.
Take a look at the world’s longest river cruise – MV GANGA VILAS – which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The cruise will operate from Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi to Assam’s Dibrugarh. #MVGangaVilas pic.twitter.com/0LSJJWwNcp
— OTV (@otvnews) January 13, 2023
The novel 51 days cruise is slated to visit 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, River Ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
