Why in news? Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s longest river cruise  MV Ganga Vilas  and the tent city at Varanasi.

Highlights:

• MV Ganga Vilas is the first indigenously made cruise vessel in India
• Nature : It has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 tourists, with all the modern amenities.
• Period : 51 days
• Distance : 3,200 km
• Major states: 5
• Route : 50 places, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, sailing across 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh
• Multiple destinations : Kashi, Patna Sahib, Bodh Gaya, Vikramshila, Dhaka ,Kaziranga National Park and the Sundarbans
• Major cities: Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam
• Cruise movement : National Waterways 2 (Brahmaputra).

Parent Organization:

• Coordinator: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways to ship tourism project.
• Managed by private operators, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), under the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways (MoPSW)

About National Waterway 2

• River : Brahmaputra
• North end: Sadiya
• South end: Bangladesh border
• Owner: Inland Waterways Authority of India
• Fixed terminals: Pandu Port.
• Floating terminals: Dhubri Port, Jogighopa, Tezpur, Silghat, Dibrugarh, Jamuguri, Bogibil, Saikhowa and Sadiya

Tent city at Varanasi

• Conceptualized on the banks of River Ganga to tap the potential of tourism in the region.
• Located at opposite to city Ghats that provide accommodation facilities and cater to the increased tourists influx in Varanasi
• Developed by: Varanasi Development Authority in PPP mode.
• Operational time: October to June every year and will be dismantled for three months due to rise in river water level in the rainy season.