The government on Monday made it clear that there is no plan to develop the tea stall where Prime Minister Narendra Modi sold tea in his childhood as a tourist spot.
Union minister of Tourism Mahesh Sharma said in a written reply in Lok Sabha, “The government has no plans to give a face lift to the tea stall in Vadnagar in Gujarat and no funds have been earmarked for this purpose.”
Earlier, the minister had said his ministry, along with the ministry of railways, would develop the Vadnagar railway station as a tourist destination. The tea stall is located on one of the platforms of the station.
In reply to supplementaries in the House, Sharma said that it is too early to understand the impact of GST on the tourism sector, though an early assessment has shown that the single tax regime has brought down the level of taxation. He said he will talk to the GST Council on the possible difficulties houseboat owners in Kerala may face due to GST.
Responding to another supplementary, he said the proposed 'Incredible India 2' policy will be out soon. It will have provisions to tie up with the private sector to help promote tourism in the country. In his written reply, Sharma said the Tourism Ministry has no scheme to encourage states to enter into revenue- sharing agreement with technology-driven hospitality service providers in the country.