“Wed in India” PM Modi’s New Mission.
Prime Minister Modi’s Initiative for Wed in India
Recently, our country’s Prime Minister has revealed a crucial initiative for promoting tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. PM Modi announced a new mission called ‘Wed in India’ to boost the wedding industry, emphasizing its significant contribution to India’s economy, with a massive size of $75 billion. The global media extensively covered his visit to Kashmir, highlighting the importance of the region post the abrogation of Article 370. With India’s wedding industry being valued at $70.5 billion, and witnessing an annual growth of 7-8%, the initiative aims to retain the generated revenue within the country. Traditionally, many Indians sought destination weddings abroad, impacting the country’s economy negatively. To counter this trend, the Tourism Ministry initiated the ‘India Says I Do’ campaign, urging affluent families to choose India as their wedding destination. This campaign targets not only high-profile celebrities but also emphasizes the rich historical and cultural experience that India offers, making it an attractive wedding destination. Prime Minister Modi’s push for ‘Wed in India’ aligns with the broader effort to boost the country’s economy by keeping the substantial wedding industry revenue within India. Additionally, his focus on the development projects in Jammu and Kashmir, along with the growing infrastructure, positions the region as an appealing destination for weddings, potentially contributing to the economic growth of the area. The hope is that this trend will encourage influential individuals to opt for weddings in India, fostering economic development and preventing the outflow of funds to foreign destinations.
India Says I Do
But in India, marriage is still a significant industry, and along with that, there’s a tradition here that if you get married, make it a grand one, spending lakhs of rupees at once. While people may not spend as much on their health, gym memberships, vitamins, or even places, when it comes to marriage, they willingly spend up to 20 lakhs or more, even if borrowed. Hence, India’s wedding industry has reached up to 75 billion dollars. Unfortunately, a portion of this amount was being spent in other countries. And for some reason, Turkey became an important destination for many Indians to have weddings. Millions, meaning 18-20 crores, were spent several times on such weddings. Therefore, a few months ago, India’s Tourism Ministry launched a campaign called ‘India Says I Do.’ The goal of this campaign is to encourage wealthy Indians, who understand the impact on the economy, to spend their money in India. Even though people still opt for weddings abroad, this campaign urges them to choose India. So, the ‘India Says I Do’ campaign implores affluent Indian families to consider getting married in India. Conversely, foreigners are encouraged to come to India for weddings, showcasing excellent destinations on the campaign’s page like Udaipur, Goa, Hyderabad, and stunning temples. Getting married in India, with its rich history, can be a profoundly beautiful experience, especially for those who can afford to spend.
Suggestion for Influencing Trends
it’s not like Prime Minister Modi randomly said that ‘Wed in India’ is a very important mission. The Tourism Ministry is running a campaign, and the government is trying to ensure that the millions of dollars spent on weddings stay within India, boosting the country’s economy. Now, looking at Kashmir, it is rapidly developing. Recently, when PM Modi visited Jammu and Kashmir, he integrated projects worth 64 crores and is building a lot of infrastructure in the region. So, if we talk about ‘Wed in India,’ Kashmir could be a beautiful destination, giving a significant boost to its tourism and economy. All points connect beautifully. Now, let’s see if a trend starts slowly in Kashmir for weddings. According to me, it will happen when influential people, famous actors, and television personalities, who are followed by others until they make a move, have weddings there. It’s necessary that celebrities in Kashmir showcase weddings, demonstrating that in India, you can organize beautiful wedding celebrations, and this should be a matter of pride for all. Even someone like Mukesh Ambani, who has ample wealth, chose to have his pre-wedding celebrations in India. Most probably, other wedding celebrations will also take place in India. This trend of ‘Wed in India’ will gradually grow, keeping the money within the country.