NEW DELHI: The Centre has approved 40 projects worth `3,295 crore for transformation of tourism places into iconic centres with the primary aim to decongest traditional and popular tourist sites under special assistance scheme for states, which was part of the budget announcement.
The projects have been chosen after detailed consultation with the states and guidelines formulated by the ministry of tourism.
All state governments participated in the consultation except West Bengal. The ministry had received 87 project proposals worth about `8,000 crore. Briefing about the development, union tourism and culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Thursday said that the focus of the entire exercise — selecting the desination — was to tap future potential of a site and invite private investment for the growth of local economy and creation of employment opportunities.
“Based on the guidelines, 40 projects were shortlisted and submitted to the finance ministry. We have got sanction. Under the scheme, a long-term loan — a kind of soft grant — will be provided to the states for 50 years. It will not impact their borrowing capacity and doesn’t reflect in their debt list,” said Shekhawat.
Some of the selected destinations are lesser known tourist sites such as Adventure and Eco Retreat, Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), beautification of Rang Ghar, Sivasagar (Assam), development of Matsyagandha Lake, Saharsa (Bihar), proposed townsquare, Porvorim (Goa), Orchha (Madhya Pradesh), Underwater Museum, Sindhudurg (Maharashtra), Mawkhanu, Shillong (Meghalaya), and development of Bateshwar, Agra (UP).
The land for the projects will be provided by the state governments and implementation will also be their responsibility. They will make arrangements for operation and management of the infrastructure after completion of the projects.
The ministry of tourism will monitor the progress. The first installment of 66 per cent of the sanctioned allocation has already been released by the department of expenditure to the states. The remaining fund will be released before March 2026. The states have been given a two-year deadline to complete the projects.
“We have meetings with the states in groups region-wise in which seven-eight states participated. The meetings went on for about eight hours. We heard them. This had happened for the first time. We do mentorship and guide states in preparations of proposals. We provided consultants. After evaluation, we selected projects worth Rs 3,295 crore based on criteria, with a futuristic approach,” said the minister.