Conference of NE tourism ministers from Sep 13
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, September 11 2021: Ministry of Tourism is organising a two-day conference on September 13 and 14 in Guwahati under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and DONER G Kishari Redd)' to discuss development of tourism and issues related to connectivity in the North Eastern Region.

According to a PIB Imphal release, Kishan Reddy and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma will address the inaugural session of the conference which will also be attended by senior officials from various Central ministries, state governments in the region as well as industry representatives.

The participants will be apprised of the several projects and initiatives being undertaken by the Central Government for the development of the region.

The states of the North Eastern Region (NER) are endowed with immense natural beauty, diverse tourist attractions and distinct ethnic traditions with each state having its own distinct features, the PIB release said, adding that development and promotion of tourism in the NER is one of the prime focus areas of the Ministry of Tourism.

It informed that the Ministry of Tourism is continuously working on different verticals like infrastructure development, promotion and publicity, skill development etc, to promote tourism in the region.

During its presentation in the Plenary Session on September 13, Ministry of Tourism will brief the participants about the several projects and initiatives for the creation of tourism infrastructure, promotion and skill development programmes in the North East.

Presentations will also be given by the Ministry of Culture on promotion of the local art and culture for growth of tourism.

Other Central Government Ministries like those of Civil Aviation, Railways, Road Transport & Highways and the Department of Telecommunications will give presentations on various initiatives taken by them for development and enhancement of infrastructure and connectivity in the region, it said.

Ministry of Tourism under its infrastructure development schemes, 'Swadesh Darshan' and 'PRASHAD' (National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) provides financial assistance to the states to develop tourism infrastructure at various tourist destinations.

Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme tourism development is undertaken at Tier II and Tier III destinations under different themes.

Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 16 projects under Swadesh Darshan Scheme for more than Rs 1300 crore in North East region such as North East, Heritage, Eco Circuit, Spiritual, Tribal, etc.

Under PRASHAD Scheme in -tegrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations is undertaken.

A total number of 6 projects have been sanctioned for an amount of Rs 193.61 crore under this scheme in North East which includes Development of Kamakhya Temple and Pilgrimage destination in Guwahati for an amount of Rs 29.99 crore, it informed.

It also conveyed that the technical sessions on September 14 will review the progress of the various projects sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes.

For promoting tourism in the North Eastern Region more aggressively, Ministry of Tourism have constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Ministry of Tourism Additional Director General and stakeholders active in NER with focus on identifying new destinations, developing itineraries around them, identifying the places where events can be organised to create awareness andorgan-ising workshops/ seminars for the local stakeholders in terms of providing them necessary skills, it added.

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