Tourism ministry seeks Rs 5,000 crore for destination development

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

The Union tourism ministry is seeking an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore over the next five years from the finance ministry under a new scheme for developing 17 iconic sites, said officials aware of the matter.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said in her budget speech that 17 sites in India would be developed into world-class destinations to boost tourism, but the budget for 2019-20 did not allocate any funds specifically for the development of these sites.

The list of sites includes the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh; Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra; Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar in Delhi; Hampi in Karnataka; Somnath and Dholavira in Gujarat, Amer Fort in Rajasthan and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.

The tourism ministry is of the opinion that allocation for the development of these sites needs to be separate from the existing Swadesh Darshan scheme. The Prime Minister’s Office has asked the tourism ministry to consult the NITI Aayog for the project.

“Now the master plans are getting ready. We have to go with a new scheme. One way is you fit it within Swadesh Darshan and the other is to create a new scheme. The disadvantage with the new scheme is that it takes more time to get it cleared. But the advantage is the amount will be clearly delineated,” said an official, who did not wish to be identified.

“We are pitching for a new scheme. We are thinking of Rs 5,000 crore spread across five years. The bulk of it will happen in the first three or four years. It is good that NITI Aayog is involved and it can then push the other ministries and departments,” said the official.

The government’s Swadesh Darshan scheme is aimed at integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits. The projects under this scheme are identified for development in consultation with the state governments and union territory administration, and are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable detailed project reports and adherence to scheme guidelines.

For 2019-20, Rs 1,378 crore has been allocated to the tourism ministry for the development of tourism infrastructure, up from Rs 1,330 in 2018-19 and Rs 1,151 crore in 2017-18.

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