The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, in collaboration with other Central Ministries and State Governments will organize a “Paryatan Parv” across the country from the 5th to 25th October 2017. The objective of the programme is to draw focus on the benefits of tourism, showcase the cultural diversity of the country and reinforce the principle of “Tourism for All”. The event envisages large scale participation by the public as well as industry stakeholders.
ParyatanParv reinforces the idea of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat with the following objectives:
To CELEBRATE the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country;
To PROMOTE the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States;
To SHOWCASE the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity;
To ESTABLISH long-term engagements and
To CREATE an environment which promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.
The ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ programme, an initiative of Ministry of Culture, aims to actively enhance interaction between people of diverse cultures living in different States and UTs in India, with the objective of promoting greater mutual understanding amongst them.
As per the programme, each year, every State/UT would be paired with another State/UT in India for reciprocal interaction between the people.
It is envisaged through this exchange, that the knowledge of the language, culture, traditions and practices of different states will lead to an enhanced understanding and bonding between one another, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.
The States and UTs are to embark on a mission to enhance their cultural, academic and economic ties by entering into a wide range of mutual engagements with the paired States/UTs covering the spheres of music, drama, cuisine, language, history, tourism and other forms of exchange between the people.
An indicative list of activities has been drawn up and circulated to the State Governments / UT Administrations and to the key Central Ministries. The States/ UTs may choose, evolve and develop their interaction pattern based on the suggested list as per operational suitability in the course of their interactions.
The paired States/ UTs are to enter into MoUs with each other to carry out common activities under Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.
