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The government of India has expanded the list of Iconic tourist sites list in the country from 17 to 19, with inclusion of Odisha’s Konark Sun Temple. Apart from Konark, even Gujarat will also be developed as Iconic tourist site.
On being asked by BJD’s MP Sasmit Patra in Rajya Sabha as to when Odisha would be included among the Iconic Sites of India, to which Tourism Minister, Prahlad Singh Patel replied stating that, “as the Iconic Tourist Sites list in the country has been expanded from 17 to 19, Konark Sun Temple has been included in the revised list.”
Singh further informed that the decision to develop Konark as an iconic tourist place was taken after he received representations from the Odisha Chief Minister, the Union Petroleum Minister and other delegations.
However last year, Konark was not included in the list of Iconic sites announced by Ministry of Tourism. Odisha’s CM Naveen Patnaik had also written to the Union Tourism Minister seeking inclusion of at least two important tourist places of the State among the Iconic Tourism Sites which were declared last year.
Odisha is home to prominent sites such as Konark Sun Temple, Chilika Lake, Bhitarkanika National Park, Similipal National Park and the Buddhist circuit.
