Foreign YouTuber highlights Varanasi's condition, describes it as dirtiest
Says South India is positive, modern
A video that is now going viral on X and Youtube sheds light on the contrasting realities of Varanasi, a city Prime Minister Narendra Modi once promised to transform into a "Kyoto-like" urban center.
Marc Travels, a YouTuber with approximately 216,000 subscribers has shared his candid impressions of the city in his travel vlog and shared it on Youtube.
The clip has then been shared by many on X.
Marc's experience in Varanasi was less than ideal, as he described the city as "the dirtiest" he had encountered in India.
He noted that Varanasi seemed to epitomize the image of India often portrayed in Western media—a stark contrast to his positive experiences in the southern parts of the country, which he found modern and impressive.
"To be quite honest, when I came here, Varanasi felt like a little bit of the India that is promoted in Western TV," Marc remarked.
He further said that his overall picture of India, particularly the South, remained positive and modern, an impression that couldn't be altered despite his experience in Varanasi. He acknowledged the city's chaotic nature, calling it "hectic" and "extreme."
In his vlog's description, Marc reflected on his months-long journey through India, expressing gratitude for the diverse experiences and memories he gained.
However, he singled out Varanasi as an intense visit due to a bout of food poisoning he suffered there. Despite this, he appreciated the opportunity to see this side of India, which he mentioned he typically only knew from Western portrayals of the country.
Prime Minister Modi's 2014 announcement to transform Varanasi into a city akin to Kyoto has faced scrutiny and criticism.
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has often mocked Modi's promises, pointing out the lack of significant changes in Varanasi.
During the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address last month, Akhilesh questioned the progress in the villages adopted by Modi, alleging they saw no growth.
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Duplicate entries in voters' list: Aadhar sharing to remain voluntary
New Delhi (PTI): As the Election Commission works to purify electoral rolls of duplicate entries, sources in the government asserted on Tuesday that Aadhaar sharing by voters on a voluntary basis as prescribed in the law will remain unaltered.
They underlined that sharing Aadhaar details with poll authorities is voluntary under the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 and it will continue to remain so.
The sources also noted that there is no plan to tweak the law or related rules in this regard.
They were responding to questions on whether there was a proposal to make Aadhaar sharing compulsory as also whether voters who don't share details will have to explain before poll authorities the reasons for not giving out details.
They said the ground rules will remain unaltered and no provision is proposed to be added as of now.
Amid a debate on the purity of electoral rolls, the Election Commission had said last month that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities.
Technical consultations between the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and experts of the EC will begin soon on voter list-Aadhaar linkage, it had said, adding though an elector can only vote in the assigned polling booth and nowhere else, the poll body has resolved to remove duplicates countrywide and end a decades-long issue within three months.
"Regular updation of the voter list shall be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities," the EC had said.
According to the prevailing law, no entries in the electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar number due to such sufficient cause as may be prescribed.
