Patna: The culture ministry is going to spend Rs 20 crore for developing various sites Mahatma Gandhi visited during the Champaran Satyagraha.
The ministry recently sent a letter in this regard to the state government and also informed that the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), an autonomous body under it, will execute the work.
GSDS is a dedicated agency with the basic aim and objective to propagate Gandhi's life, mission and thought.
The Champaran Satyagraha was the first mass movement the Mahatma launched in 1917 to free local farmers from the clutches of indigo planters. The ministry has informed the state about its plan in response to a proposal sent by the state tourism department in which a sum of Rs 87.31 crore had been demanded for carrying out various works.
State tourism minister Pramod Kumar told The Telegraph the ministry had sought the state government's nod for starting work using Rs 20 crore and it had been given.
The GSDS would use part of the fund to set up a Mahatma Gandhi photo gallery at Gandhi Sangrahalaya in Motihari, headquarters of the East Champaran district, which was the centre of the century old Champaran Satyagraha.
"GSDS has a huge collection of material on Gandhi. The ministry is of the view that Mahatma Gandhi photo gallery can easily be developed by GSDS before the conclusion of the commemoration period in April, 2018," reads the culture ministry letter sent to the state government.
The minister said part of the fund will be used to set up stone engraved statues of Gandhi at different places he visited during the Satyagraha.
"Also, commemorative gates will be built at five important places to depict routes Gandhiji took while visiting different parts of the district," the minister said.
These gates will be in addition to two more being built by the National Highway Authority of India at two entry points of the district at Mehsi and Dumaria Ghat respectively.
The state tourism minister said a GSDA team was visiting sites related to the Satyagraha to finalise spots where work can be carried out using the central fund.
