Promotion of Tourism in the North East

The development of tourist infrastructure and products is the primary responsibility of the concerned State Governments/UT Administrations.However, in order to realize the huge tourism potential of the country including North Eastern Region and bridge the infrastructure gaps, the Ministry of Tourism has identified the following theme based circuits, under its Swadesh Darshan Scheme:          

                   i.                        North East Circuit

                 ii.                        Buddhist Circuit

              iii.                        Himalayan Circuit

              iv.                        Coastal Circuit

                 v.                        Krishna Circuit

              vi.                        Desert Circuit

            vii.                        Tribal Circuit

         viii.                        Eco Circuit

              ix.                        Wildlife circuit

                 x.                        Rural Circuit

              xi.                        Spiritual Circuit

            xii.                        Ramayana Circuit

In order to beautify and improve the amenities and infrastructure at pilgrimage centers, the destination of Kamakhya (Guwahati) has been identified under the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) in the year 2014-15.

Some of the major infrastructural components admissible under both the schemes are:

a)           Development/Upgradation of Passenger Terminals (Road, Rail, Water Transport);

b)                 Improvement of road connectivity leading to tourist sites/destinations;

c)                 Use of clean energy sources for street lighting;

d)                 Wayside amenities with emergency vehicle breakdown, repair and refuel facilities;

e)                 External infrastructure such as water supply, sewerage, drainage, electricity and roads;

f)                  First Aid Centres;

g)                 Helipads, heliports, airstrips, ropeways;

h)                 Communication system, Mobile Services, Internet Connectivity, Wi-Fi etc;

The Ministry also earmarks at least 10% of its total annual allocation, though its utilization has exceeded more than 10% in the past.

For dealing with the Inter – Ministerial issues regarding the NER, the Ministry of Tourism is in continuous touch with the other concerned administrative central ministries for ensuring better connectivity at various tourist destinations and up gradation of facilities for tourists.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation Dr Mahesh Sharma in reply to a starred question today(22-07-2015) in Rajya Sabha.

Courtesy:pib.nic.in