Sonowal: India’s lighthouses becoming tourist attractions

• Lighthouses are integral to India’s marine heritage and are being transformed into tourist hubs.
• The Minister emphasized the 400% rise in tourist footfall at lighthouses since 2014, with 9 lakhs crossed in the first half of the current fiscal.
• A national framework is being proposed to ensure lighthouses remain symbols of India’s maritime history.
• 75 iconic lighthouses across nine coastal states and one union territory have been developed, with modern amenities and job creation.
• Two new lighthouses were inaugurated on Odisha’s coastline and the Kalwan Reef Lighthouse at Jamnagar in Gujarat.