- Tuesday, March 04, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Friday (13) flagged off the Ganga River Cruise from Varanasi, a Hindu holy city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and his electoral constituency.
The cruise is touted as the world’s longest river cruise which will operate between Varanasi and Dibrugarh in the north-eastern state of Assam via Bangladesh.
The one-way trip is expected to take 51 days to cover 3,200 kilometres.
“The beginning of the world’s longest river cruise service on river Ganga is a landmark moment. It will herald a new age of tourism in India,” Modi tweeted in his address at the inauguration event.
Beginning of cruise service on River Ganga is a landmark moment. It will herald a new age of tourism in India. https://t.co/NOVFLFrroE
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 13, 2023
He launched the cruise virtually via video conference and said it will create major tourism opportunities for Varanasi and will help improve the country’s economy.
Last year, Modi inaugurated Kashi Vishwanath Corridor connecting the holy Kashi Vishwanath Temple with the ghats of Ganga in Varanasi, which is being promoted as one of the country’s best tourist and religious sites.
The cruise will visit 50 tourist spots, including World Heritage spots, national parks, river ghats, and major cities in the region such as Patna in Bihar, Kolkata in West Bengal, Guwahati in Assam, and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
The cruise is supported by India’s ministry of shipping, ports and waterways and will be managed by private operators, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).
