The central government, specifically the Minister of Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, has touted the work done for the North East region since the BJP-led administration took power in 2014.
Through a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, Reddy said that the Market Development Assistance Scheme has been revised to include online promotions for the North East and to enhance the extent of financial assistance permissible under the scheme.
The ministry also provides financial assistance to North Eastern states, which include assistance for development of tourist infrastructure, promotion of fairs/festivals and tourism related events, information technology related projects, publicity campaigns, human resource development, market research etc.
The Ministry of DoNER also supports tourism programmes/events regularly. The ‘Destination North East’ event is organized annually to attract tourists.
Twenty-seven cleanliness activities have been undertaken in the North East under the ministry’s Swachhta Action Plan (SAP). The region is the focus area of the RCS-UDAN, launched to facilitate/stimulate regional air connectivity. Under the scheme, 18 routes in the North East are operational. The Ministry of Railways has also upgraded its infrastructure in the North East by way of gauge conversion, introduction of ‘Vista Dome’ coaches and upgradation of stations.
For giving a fillip to tourism in the region, the ministry approved the project ‘Development of View Points in the North East Region’ at 22 scenic locations.
The ministry has identified and forwarded a list of 25 tourist sites which could be taken as pilot projects for formation of a separate police unit in the States/UTs.
It has also set up a 24×7 multilingual tourist info helpline in 12 languages. A Code of Conduct for Safe & Honourable Tourism has also been adopted to encourage tourism activities. The ministry also organized a National Conference of DGPs on Tourist Police Scheme on October 19, 2022 in New Delhi in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs.
