PM Modi expresses happiness over inauguration of Indian Lighthouse Festival at Aguada Fort in Goa

New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): Expressing happiness over the inauguration of the Indian Lighthouse Festival at the Aguada Fort in Goa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that he is glad to see the growing enthusiasm towards Lighthouses as key tourist spots.

PM Modi also shared a link to his Mann ki Baat episode in which he talked about the promotion of tourism and 71 lighthouses in India.

Responding to the post of Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal on “X”, PM Modi said, “Glad to see growing enthusiasm towards Lighthouses as key tourist spots. Here is what I had said during Mann Ki Baat on the topic”.

Earlier, in a series of posts on ‘X’, Union Minister Sonowal informed that he has inaugurated the first-ever Indian Lighthouse Festival at Aguada Fort in Goa along with Goa CM Pramod Sawant and Union MoS Shripad Y Naik.

Indian Light House Festival is being held to celebrate lighthouses, an essential part of maritime navigation and unique structures that have throughout antiquity beckoned ships and tourists alike with their mystery and scenic allure.

Sonowal inaugurated the maiden edition of ‘Bharatiya Prakash Sthamb Utsav’ or Indian Lighthouse Festival at the historic Fort Aguada in Goa on Sunday.

The festival is aimed at rejuvenating the rich maritime history of India’s 75 iconic lighthouses and unravelling the illustrious stories of the world. At the flagship venue of this maiden event, Fort Aguada, the meeting was also attended by the Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant.

Speaking on the occasion, the Union Minister, Sonowal said, “With the launch of this festival, we are enabling a process to rejuvenate the age-old classics in 75 Lighthouses across coastal India with the sole purpose to unravel the rich heritage of these iconic sites and present them to the world. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji, India is surging ahead towards becoming an Atmanirbhar Bharat”.

“In this pious effort of nation-building, we are trying to bring the vision of Modi ji to life by making the iconic Lighthouses become catalysts of educational, cultural and tourist hotspots,” he added.

Sonowal also expressed his gratitude to the vision and leadership of PM Modi for the transformation of distinctive lighthouses into captivating heritage tourism sites.

“We pay our gratitude to the vision and leadership of our visionary leader, Narendra Modi ji, who championed the transformation of our distinctive lighthouses into captivating heritage tourism sites,” he said.

“For far too long, the silent sentinels of coastlines were left ignored while serving the light of hope to scores of sailors and ships amidst the darkest nights. The “Lighthouse Festival” is our endeavour to change that. It is our mission to inform, engage, and educate all of you about the vital role these historic beacons have played in our nation’s history.” Sonowal added.

The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Government of India is aiming to leverage the Indian Lighthouse Festival to shore up the base for Public public-private partnership route to develop the history into a world-class tourist destination.

The Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships has already identified 75 such lighthouses, and this festival is a testament to the commitment of the government to celebrate and preserve our maritime heritage.