Ahmedabad, Feb 12 (PTI) Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Wednesday stressed on timely completion of the ambitious project of setting up a national maritime museum at Lothal, a Harappan-era archeological site in Gujarat.

Patel, who visited Lothal, said the ancient port city will be developed as a popular tourist destination, according to a release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) here.

In the Union budget presented nearly two weeks ago, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed an allocation of Rs 3,150 crore for setting up a national maritime museum at Lothal, situated near the Gulf of Khambhat, around 75km from Ahmedabad.

"It is important to make sure the museum, to be built with central funds, gets completed in time. We will train local youths to develop Lothal as a tourist destination.

"As stressed by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is our responsibility to preserve this rich heritage," Patel was quoted as saying by the PIB release.

In March last year, the PM had laid the foundation stone for the museum, also called the Lothal Maritime Heritage Complex.

At that time, Modi had said the complex will showcase the maritime strength of ancient India and have world-class facilities.

During the day, Patel also visited Adalaj ni Vav (Adalaj Stepwell) in Gandhinagar district and world famous Rani Ki Vav (Queen's Stepwell) in Patan district, said the release.

Patel, along with Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, is slated to inaugurate a two-day conference on people's participation in managing tourist destinations in the Rann of Kutch on Thursday, said the release.

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