The Centre has plans to convert the Vadnagar railway platform in Gujarat - the place where Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked in his childhood – into a tourist spot.

Vadnagar is not only the birthplace of our PM but also an important historical centre. It is famous for the Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. An excavation is currently going on, which the Archaeological Survey of India ( ASI ) claim is the remains of a Buddhist monastery.

Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma said that converting the stall where PM Modi worked into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace, Vadnagar in Mehsana district, on the world tourism map. He said that the old charm of the tea stall will be maintained while giving it a modern touch.

Before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often talked about his childhood days as a tea seller at the station in his speeches. After he became the PM, there has been an increased footfall in Vadnagar.

Gujarat tourism minister Ganpat Vasava said that the state and central governments have launched an extensive development project in Vadnagar to promote tourism.

The divisional railway manager of Ahmedabad, Dinesh Kumar, said that the Indian Railways has given a no-objection certificate to the Gujarat government for the construction of a tourist facilitation centre at the Vadnagar station.