The Uttar Pradesh government will invite the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, and the chief ministers and governors of all states, among host of other dignitaries, for the Maha Kumbh Mela which is set to begin from January 13.
The mega religious event, which is held every 12 years, will continue for 45 days in Prayagraj. More than 40 crore devotees from all over the world are expected to attend the mega event.
State Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said at a roadshow in the national capital on Monday that invites are being sent to the governors the chief minister of all states, including those ruled by non-NDA parties.
"We have invited Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena and will be meeting Delhi Chief Minister Atishi as well," he said at the event.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Sunday and invited her to attend the Maha Kumbh.
Adityanath also extended invitations to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena for the grand event.
As part of the invitation, the Chief Minister presented the dignitaries with special gifts, including a symbol featuring the Mahakumbh 2025 logo, a 'kalash' (sacred urn), literature related to the event, a New Year table calendar and a diary.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister reached New Delhi on Saturday and met former President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President and Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, and Mizoram Governor General VK Singh.
Each of them received personalised invitations and mementos related to the Mahakumbh.
On Sunday, Yogi expressed gratitude to the dignitaries for their time through a post on his official handle on social media, sharing photographs of the meetings.
With the event just weeks away, the Uttar Pradesh government has intensified efforts to invite dignitaries and the general public from across the country, with the chief minister and his cabinet ministers personally leading the outreach campaigns in different states.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the upcoming 'Maha Kumbh' as the "Maha Kumbh of unity" as he asked people to return from the grand religious congregation with a resolve to banish hate and division from society.
Speaking in his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' broadcast, Modi said, "Maha Kumbh ka sandesh ek ho pura desh (Message from the Maha Kumbh should be that the entire country must be united)." He added, "Ganga ki aviral dhara, na bante samaj hamara" (Like the uninterrupted flow of Ganga, let our society remain one).
Noting the diversity of people visiting the mammoth congregation, he said there is no other example of such a sight of unity in diversity. "Maha Kumbh's speciality lies not just in its vastness but also in its diversity," he said.
Artificial intelligence-enabled cameras, RFID wristbands and mobile app tracking are among the methods that will be used to track headcount of the pilgrims attending the Maha Kumbh. Sharing details of the arrangements being made for the event, Khanna said the headcount of pilgrims attending the Maha Kumbh will be efficiently managed using advanced technology.
"The first method is attribute based search, where tracking will be conducted using person attribute search cameras. The second method involves RFID wristbands, which will be provided to the pilgrims. Through these wristbands, entry and exit times will be tracked using RFID readers," Khanna said at a roadshow here.
"The third method is mobile app tracking, where with the consent of pilgrims, their location will be tracked through GPS using a mobile application," he added. The minister said the government is gearing up for a divine, grand and digital Maha Kumbh. "The preparations include the launch of a dedicated website and app, an AI-powered chatbot in 11 languages, QR-based passes for people and vehicles, a multilingual digital lost and found centre, ICT monitoring for cleanliness and tents, software for land and facility allocation, multilingual digital signage (VMD), an automated ration supply system, drone-based surveillance and disaster management, live software for monitoring 530 projects, an inventory tracking system and integration of all locations on Google maps," he added.
Khanna said the arrangements have been made to ensure the tourists do not face parking issues. "In this regard, 101 smart parking facilities have been created, capable of accommodating up to five lakh vehicles daily. The parking area spans 1867.04 hectares, which is 763.75 hectares larger compared to the 1103.29 hectares allocated for parking in 2019. These parking facilities will be monitored through the Integrated Command Centre," he added.
Meanwhile, in compliance with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's instructions to ensure a 'digital' and 'cyber safe' Maha Kumbh, Uttar Pradesh Police has formulated a strategy to protect the devotees from cyber frauds.
"We have prepared a multi-dimensional strategy to fight cybercrime during the Maha Kumbh. Apart from police officers, we have also roped in cyber experts from specialised institutions like IIT-Kanpur. Acting on the complaints received, police have already arrested some cyber frauds," Director General of Police (DGP), Prashant Kumar, said.
"We will also launch a comprehensive awareness campaign to protect the devotees from cybercrime during the event," he added.
A meeting of cyber experts and top police officials was held recently at the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Lucknow which discussed various issues concerning cybercrime, the DGP said.
Held in hybrid mode under the chairmanship of Additional Director General of Police (Prayagraj Zone), Bhanu Bhaskar, the meeting was attended by professors from IIT-Kanpur, ADGP (cyber crime), Prayagraj police commissioner, IG (Prayagraj range), and cyber experts, among others.