India hopes that Mahakumbh will bring investors, but economists are skeptical | Business and economy

Moyagraj, India – Arvind Agrawal has been running a job for four decades that has been supplying the cases of accessories across India to Moyagraj in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

The city currently hosts Mahakumbh, often simply called Kumbh, the largest religious gathering of Hindus in the world.

His mobile phone revives every few minutes with calls seeking the prices of key rings, calendars and diaries, and everyone shows the element of mahakumbha, a smart trick that he sold abruptly.

“I have hardly slept more than four to five hours during the night in the last three months due to a huge demand for our items. The store is kept open longer than the usual order displacement schedule,” Agrawal tells Al Jazeera.

An additional request will increase its annual revenue of about $ 570,000 to more than $ 660,000, he says.

Mahakumbh is held every 12 years in India in four holy places – Molagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain – on rotation, depending on the alignment of planets with the stars. Hindus believe that the festival is an opportunity for them to wash their sins and seek spiritual liberation.

According to mythological beliefs, the festival was organized to celebrate the cleft of the elixir of immortality – Amrit – which fell into different places in India, while the gods protected him from demons.

The event that started on the Sanga coast – the Ganges River, Yamuna and Saraswati River – will end in Moyagraj on January 13th on February 26th and is expected to attract millions of Hindu bhakta and saints.

The festival is held on 10,000 hectares (4,046 acres) where improvised tents were built for the accommodation of monks and images.

A massive business opportunity

In addition to its spiritual importance, Mahakumbh is also a big business opportunity for city entrepreneurs, the Government says. More than 400 million people are likely to visit the City during the 45-day festival to bathe in Ganges and perform prayers.

The numbers for which they are scored are large.

Mahendra Goyal, President of the Uttar CHAPTER PREDESH ALL India Traders, says local businesses will earn close to $ 3 billion. State Chief Minister of Yogi Adityanath estimates that the festival will bring revenue greater than two billion dollars for the country based on the calculation of $ 5,000 ($ 58) that consumes each of the 400 million people who are expected to attend the event.

The state hired influences on social media to promote events, and also set pantry at airports across the country.

“Luxury cottages have been built, and the tour packages have been made for devotees that come to visit Kumbh,” said Mukesh Kumar Meshram, Secretary General of the State Department of Tourism.

Some entrepreneurs definitely benefit from shooting tourists. Ashish Mittal, 48, who, among other things, is available for sale of paper cups and plates, said Al Jazeera that his job testified to the vast growth in the last few days on the return from many kitchens in the community set to eat the diet every day.

“They are simpler in high demand. We usually do a traffic of 40 million rupees [$462,086] Every financial year, but we expect an additional sale of 15 million rupees [$173,282] Because of Mahakumbha, “Mittal told Al Jazeera.

Similarly, Vritti IMEDIA, a company that sells an advertising space on LED screens on moving vans, has accelerated more clients during mahakumbha.

“Our 25 vans are moving through the festival area, capturing millions of eyeballs. We expect to reach four to five times more revenue than previous KUBHs due to its huge scale,” says Rajesh Radhakrishnan, co-founder of the company.

The State Government inserted 70 billion Rupees ($ 808.5 million) in infrastructure development, including water and waste management, and repairing roads and highways. The Federal Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has inserted close to $ 250 million.

Senior State Government officials say Al Jazeera that investing is also an effort to show improved infrastructure to attract investors.

“Huge arrangements such as the construction of 150,000 tents, the construction of state motorways, improvements of the connection of railways and air are intended to investors a clear signal that the government is not only capable of organizing such a mega event, but can also create life for several life means for the lives of thousands of people,” says Al Jazeera , KV paradise, economic advisor to the Minister of State.

Some economists, however, are skeptical of the Government’s claim of generating $ 2 trillion from events.

“Most bhakt who visit kumbh travel in groups and belong to the lower layers of society and do not even have $ 58 they would spend on themselves,” said Sunil Kumar Sinha, a professor of economics, who was previously the main economist in India, FITCH units.

The government must spend massively on their accommodation, safety and food for 45 days, and this could exceed the investment that the government has publicly claimed, Sinha said.

“Real users are only those related to tourism and hospitality. Even in Ayodhya, where a large Ram temple is dedicated to last year, and these industries focused on tourism have got part of the job, but other sectors have not been done. Events like Mahakumbha are simply focused on showing good government management and nothing beyond that, “he added.

Despite all the arrangements, the problems are still and some of the devotees complained of inadequate shelters for them at the fair.

“We are forced to sleep under the open sky in the cold cold with the blankets we brought from our houses. No arrangements for accommodation and food. We brought some dry food products because it is very expensive here,” says Sunita Roy, 45, a housewife who is came with a group to attend the Mahakumbhu from Indor in Madhya Pradesh.

Sayantan Mukhejee, a 25-year-old calcite software engineer, said his main problem were unhygienic toilets at the fair.

“The government has agreed well in terms of crowds and traffic management, but the main problem is the unexplained improvised toilets … They are completely dirty and filled with human waste. It is impossible to even get in and stand there for a second, but they are the only option, “he said.

The second appeal is the increase in ticket prices.

Airfare for Moyagraj from cities like New Delhi and Calcutus is located from 20,000 to 35,000 rupees ($ 230 to $ 405), which is many times the standard price of below 7000 rupees (81 USD).

Debaprat Paul, 25, a market trader in Calcutta, Al Jazeera said that he had completed a flight to Moyagraj to experience Mahakumbh because you are selling tickets for the train. He paid a “too steep price” of 10,000 Rupeas ($ 116) because there was no alternative. “The government should prevail planes during such events to help with a more bhakt to visit the Holy City,” he says.