During the world's largest religious event Maha Kumbh, more than 20 leading educational institutions from across the world and the country will camp here to study various aspects related to Maha Kumbh.

Major institutions like Harvard, Stanford, London School of Economics, Kyoto University, AIIMS, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras and JNU will send their professors, researchers and students to Prayagraj.

Research will be done in these areas.

Principal Secretary Amrit Abhijat told in a program organized in Lucknow that this is the first time we are doing institutional support research on various areas like the economic impact of Maha Kumbh, crowd management, socio-cultural aspects, food distribution chain, and anthropological studies. The state government has identified eight different areas and topics on which the researchers will study. Opening this opportunity for global participation, the Urban Development Department has proposed the idea of conducting a comprehensive study.

Researchers will get resources and stipends at the fair.

The Principal Secretary said that till 2019, global and domestic institutions used to contact us, but this time we have decided to open the fair area for researchers in advance. The research papers will help the state government to make necessary improvements for future events. We will provide accommodation to the researchers during their visit to Maha Kumbh and also give a stipend on the successful submission of research papers. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had suggested inviting the institutions in advance.

Two major areas of research

Planning and implementation of Maha Kumbh: In this category, the entire process of organizing Maha Kumbh, planning, and the way it is implemented will be studied. In this, it will be seen how preparations are made for such a big event and how it is successfully executed.

Economic Impact and Consequence Estimation of Maha Kumbh: This category will study the impact of the Kumbh on the local and national economy by estimating the expenditure made by tourists, investments made by the government, and its long-term economic impacts.

Economic Impact Study

Expenditures by tourists in various categories such as accommodation, food, transport, religious activities and entertainment will help in estimating the impact of the Kumbh. Also, a study on the expenditure made by the state and central government will show the contribution of the Kumbh towards the development of the infrastructure required for the Kumbh.

Pop-up Metropolis

The pop-up city, which will be built using tents, pontoons and bamboo structures, will provide accommodation to lakhs of pilgrims and will be completely dismantled after the Kumbh is over. This temporary settlement will be equipped with all kinds of facilities, including spatial zoning, infrastructure supply, food distribution network and public gathering places.

Unique Challenge and Opportunity

For Prayagraj, which has a population of 5.5 million, welcoming 400 million visitors presents an unprecedented challenge and opportunity, which has always been a centre of attraction for the institutions. This grand event is celebrated every 12 years when the Sun, Moon and Jupiter come together in a particular celestial position.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from abplive.com. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation.