Fueling Indian Economy
The government’s intentions to expand capital investment by 35 per cent and fuel growth for an economy recuperating from three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic were revealed in the Union Budget 2022-23, which was released today. Shri Kishan G. Reddy, the Minister of Tourism, thanked the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister for their continuous attention on significant infrastructure development, connectivity, and border connections, which will help enhance tourism in India.
PM Gati Shakti
Through the use of technology to facilitate faster movement of people and goods, seamless multimodal connectivity, economic transformation, and logistical synergy, the PM Gati Shakti master plan for expressways will facilitate faster implementation of development projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline. To this end, the National Highways Network would be expanded by 25,000 kilometres in 2022-23, with a budget of INR 20,000 crore obtained through creative financing.
Roads, trains, airports, ports, mass transportation, waterways, and logistical infrastructure are all part of the Gati Shakti master plan. All seven engines, which are backed up by energy transmission, information technology, bulk water, sewerage, and social infrastructure, will propel India’s economy ahead while also helping to enhance tourism.
The building of five additional river linkages (Daman Ganga Pinjal, Par Tapi Narmada, Godavari Krishna, Krishna Pennar, Peenar Kaveri) is also proposed in the Union Budget, which would increase Cruise Tourism, which has found significant success in the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers.
Developing Border Regions, Renewable Energy
The Union Budget has also prioritised the development of highways in border regions, which would significantly improve the livelihood of border residents. The Ministry of Tourism has been working to increase the country’s border tourism.
Border settlements with scant populations, poor connection, and inadequate infrastructure are frequently overlooked in development efforts. A new Vibrant Villages Program will include such villages on the Northern Border.
Construction of village infrastructure, housing, tourism centres, road connection, decentralised renewable energy, DTH access to DD and education channels, and support for livelihood production would all be part of the plan.
I am very grateful to say that over and above this, Hon’ble Finance Minister has earmarked an additional amount of INR 2400 crores for the Ministry of Tourism. This budget is 18.42% higher than 2021-22 and will be utilized by the Ministry for developing tourism infrastructure, marketing and promotion, and capacity building.”
INR 1644 for Devlopment Infrastructure and Swadesh Darshan
INR 1644 crores of the INR 2400 crores have been set aside for the development of tourist infrastructure, with INR 1181.30 crore being aside for the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
The Swadesh Darshan Scheme is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, which has sanctioned 76 projects in 13 thematic circuits. The financial allocation will assist the Ministry in completing current projects under the Scheme, and the infrastructure built will improve the tourism experience for visitors visiting smaller and less-known places.
Under the Swadesh Darshan initiative, 55 new locations are being planned, and the Ministry will continue to focus on the Northeast, Himalayan region, tribal region, and other areas.
PRASHAD Scheme
Another flagship scheme of the Ministry, the PRASHAD Scheme aims for the holistic development of selected pilgrimage destinations in the country. An amount of INR 235 crores has been allocated for the PRASHAD Scheme. Components taken up for development under the scheme include cloakroom facilities, waiting rooms, signage, passenger terminals, Illumination of monuments/ pilgrimage, Parking facilities, last-mile connectivity, garbage bins, first aid centres, construction of craft hats, etc. A total of 37 projects have been sanctioned under the PRASHAD Scheme, of which 17 projects have been completed.
The remaining allocation would be used to fund other Schemes such as Capacity Building for Service Providers, Champion Service Sector Scheme, Information Technology, etc as well as to meet the establishment expenditure of the Ministry and its subordinate offices – the India Tourism Offices in the country and abroad.
“We have created 278 parking lots, 278 bathrooms, 181 cafeterias, and 34 sound and light displays, among other things, under the Ministry of Tourism’s numerous plans.”
Northeast Development
From a tourist standpoint, the Northeast is critical, and we are pleased to see that the budget supports a strong push for the region. The Northeast Council is implementing the PM-Devine development project for the Northeast, which will support infrastructure in the spirit of PM Gati Shakti and social development based on health requirements in the region. This will mostly assist the North East’s youngsters and women. A total of Rs. 1,500 crores have been made accessible, to begin with.
For the fiscal year 2022-23, the Ministry of Tourists has set aside INR 227 crore for the North-Eastern States, including INR 98 crore set aside under the Tribal Sub Plan for the development of tourism infrastructure in tribal regions.
India has seen a significant increase in domestic tourism, with new advances in the railway industry playing a key role. Over the next three years, 400 new Vande Bharat Express trains will be developed and produced, improving efficiency and passenger experience. The national National Ropeways Development Program will create ropeways under the PPP model as a sustainable alternative to motorways in order to increase connectivity in challenging terrains and promote tourism.
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