First project under Swadesh Darshan Scheme ‘North East Circuit’ inaugurated
First project under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme ‘North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom’ in Manipur inaugurated today. The major restoration, reconstruction and development works taken up under the project was at a cost of nearly Rs 69 crore.
The Governor of Manipur, Dr. Najma A Heptulla inaugurated the project “Development of North East Circuit: Imphal & Khongjom” implemented under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India at a function held at the historic Kangla Fort in Imphal, Manipur today. This is the first project to be completed under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Government of India. The Project was inaugurated in the presence of N Biren Singh, Chief Minister of Manipur, K J Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, State Ministers of Manipur and Rashmi Verma, Union Tourism Secretary.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Najma A Heptulla drew the attention of the Government to the huge potential of the tourism industry of the state which comes in the form of culture, sports, arts, ecology, history, handloom and handicrafts.
A message from the Prime Minster, Narendra Modi was also read out by K J Alphons stating that tourism will bring the people of the country together and it will serve in cultural growth and bring prosperity to the country. In his message, the Prime Minister further said that tourism is an engine of growth through job creation which will ultimately eradicate poverty.
Alphons congratulated the Government of Manipur for the commendable work in tourism sector of the State and suggested to come up with good projects and expressed his willingness to be generous on the projects to be taken up in North East.
The Chief Minister of Manipur, N Biren Singh in his remarks proposed 3 more projects for development and strengthening of eco, ethnic and sports tourism at Loktak Lake, Mapithel Dam and Shadu Chiru. He also expressed his happiness on the progress of Kangkhui cave tourism project.
The Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of Ministry of Tourism for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner. The scheme was launched in 2014 -15 and as on date the Ministry has sanctioned 70 projects for Rs 5708.88 crore to 29 states and UTs under the Scheme. Thirty projects/major components of these projects are expected to be completed this year.
The project which was inaugurated today in Manipur was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in September 2015 for Rs 72.30 crores. The project covers two sites i.e. Kangla Fort and Khongjom. Kangla Fort is one of the most important historic and archaeological site of Manipur located in the heart of the Imphal city. Kangla has a special place in the hearts and minds of the people of Manipur. The old Govindajee Temple, outer and inner moat and other relics are perfect reflections of the rich art and architectural heritage of Manipur.
Development of Tourism in North Eastern Region is prime area of focus for the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry is carrying out an array of activities for development and promotion of tourism in the region. The Ministry is developing the tourism infrastructure in the region under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD). Together under both the schemes Ministry has sanctioned 15 projects covering all North Eastern states for Rs 1301.47 crores.
The Ministry is carrying out an array of activities for development and promotion of tourism in the region. The efforts of Ministry have shown positive results and the Foreign tourist arrivals in the region has shown an upward trend over the years. The region received a total of 1.69 lakh foreign tourist visits during 2017 as against 1.45 lakh in 2016 registering a growth of 16.7 per cent over 2016. The Domestic Tourist Visits reached to 95.47 lakhs in the year 2017 against 77.71 lakhs registering impressive double digit growth of 22.8 per cent over 2016. The increased number of tourists in turn has created better employment opportunity for the local population in the region.