Buddhist circuit to have Chinese signage
New Delhi: In a major bid to woo Chinese tourists to India, the Union Tourism Ministry has decided to put up signage all across the Buddhist circuit in Chinese, sources said on Sunday. The ministry’s decision to put up signage in foreign languages at major destinations is part of a plan to attract 20 million foreign tourists by 2020. While 50 lakh Chinese tourists travel globally, India’s share currently is only 3.5 lakh, they said. “The Chinese are ardent travellers and we want them to come to India. The Buddhist Circuit is the immediate target now and eventually we are going to expand it to include signage in Chinese in all Archaeological Survey of India sites as well as museums,” the source said. The sites which will be covered include Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali, Kesharia and Vikramshila in Patna circle, Sarnath, Chaukhandi and Kidhinagar under Sarnath circle, Sravasti and Kapilavastu in Lucknow circle and Sanchi, Bhashut and Satdhara under Bhopal circle. As part of the plan, the ministry installed sign boards in Sinhala, the language spoken by a majority of Sri Lankans, at Sanchi Stupa in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. The sign boards in Sinhala have been put up after a survey indicated that over 30 lakh Sri Lankans visit the site. They are followed by about 3 lakh tourists from South Korea. While the Chinese are the top priority, the ministry is also planning to put up sign boards in Sinhala, Japanese and Korean at places like Sarnath in Uttar Pradesh and Bodh Gaya in Bihar, which are frequented by large numbers of tourists from Sri Lanka, Japan and South Korea. (PTI)
Ex-MP CM passes away
Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior BJP leader Kailash Joshi died at a private hospital here on Sunday after prolonged illness, a family member said. He was 90. “He breathed his last at the Bansal Hospital here,” his son and former state minister Deepak Joshi told PTI. Kailash Joshi was suffering from heart problems and diabetes, an official at the hospital said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at Joshi’s demise and lauded his contribution towards strengthening the Jan Sangh and BJP. In a tweet, Modi said, “Kailash Joshi Ji was a stalwart who made a strong contribution towards Madhya Pradesh’s growth. He worked hard to strengthen Jan Sangh and BJP in Central India.” “He made a mark as an effective legislator. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti,” he tweeted. Joshi is survived by three sons and three daughters. His wife died a few months back, a source said. The last rites will be performed on Monday at his ancestral town Hatpipalya in Dewas district, former BJP MP Alok Sanjar said. (PTI)
Man held with Rs 50 lakh
New Delhi: A 19-year-old man has been apprehended by CISF personnel at a Delhi Metro station here for allegedly carrying Rs 50 lakh cash on behalf of a Gujarat-based transport operator, officials said on Sunday. They said the incident occurred on Saturday evening at the Barakhamba station when Thakur Dilip reached with a bag to board a train to Chandni Chowk station. Rs 50 lakh cash– in denominations of Rs 500, Rs 200 and Rs 100–was recovered from the bag of the man by CISF personnel and as the commuter could not explain reasons for carrying such huge cash, his employer was summoned. His manager Jalpesh KB Patel (32) arrived at the station and said he is in the business of transport commission and transfers cash on the instruction of his employer Dhruv Bhai Pol of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, a senior CISF officer said. The manager said this cash of Rs 50 lakh was being similarly sent to Chandni Chowk, he said. As there were no documents and valid reasons for carrying the cash, the case and money has been transferred to the Income Tax Department for further probe, he said. Cash amount of over Rs 2 lakh in one single transaction has been banned since 2017 by the government as part of a legal measure to check black money. (PTI)
BSP expels former MLAs
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has expelled five-time MLA Ram Prasad for indiscipline and anti-party activities. The party also suspended three former MLAs from Basti– Rajendra Chaudhary, Doodh Ram and Jitendra Kumar from the party on Saturday. BSP Basti district president Sanjay Dhusia said that the leaders had been involved in anti-party activities for the past several months and had been given several warnings. Sources said that the expelled leaders would now join the Samajwadi Party. Ram Prasad Chaudhary, a former MP and a minister in the Mayawati government, told reporters that he had not yet made up his mind about it. “I do not know why the party president Mayawati is upset with me. I resigned from the party on Saturday but soon after, I was served with an expulsion notice. I will continue in politics but have not decided yet which party to join,” he said. The former MP is a prominent Kurmi leader in Basti and weilds considerable clout in the region. Recently, former BSP MLC and former finance minister KK Gautam also joined SP. (IANS)
