The Yogi Adityanath government plans to install a statue of Lord Rama on banks of the Saryu and organise a grand Diwali in Ayodhya this year by illuminating the town and lighting 1.71 lakh earthen diyas.

The statue will be installed only after clearance from the National Green Tribunal, Principal Secretary Tourism Awanish Awasthi said.

A series of programmes have been scheduled for October 18 to celebrate Diwali in the town. A “deepotsav” will be organised on ‘Ram Ki Paidi’ where 1.71 lakh earthen lamps will be lit, he said while giving a presentation to Governor Ram Naik on Monday.

Prominent building and ghats will also be illuminated to attract tourists.

The objective of the entire programme will be to promote Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama, as a tourist destination.

A heritage walk, a yatra reminiscing return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, and launch of several schemes by the Chief Minister and other dignitaries will be part of the programme, the officer said.

A grand “aarti” of River Saryu will also be performed by the CM and the Governor and a laser show will be held on the banks of the river.

During the programme, Ramlila will be staged by artistes from Indonesia and Thailand. The Union Tourism ministry has sanctioned ₹133.70 crore to make Ayodhya a tourism hub.

The money sanctioned will be utilised in renovating ghats, including Guptar Ghat, where Lord Rama had taken ’Samadhi’, installing CCTV cameras, making police booths, construction of guest houses for tourists and auditorium at Digamgar Akhara.

The budget presented by the Yogi government, which came to power in March, had special mention of Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura, earmarking ₹1,240 crore for the Ramayan, Buddhist and Krishna circuits in these cities.

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