DRDelhi: The Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma inaugurated the project ‘Development of North East Circuit: Umiam (Lake View)-U Lum Sohpetbneng-Mawdiangdiang-Orchid Lake Resort’ implemented under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India in the presence of Metbah Lyngdoh, Minister of Tourism, Government of Meghalaya, Yogendra Tripathi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Sanbor Shullai, Chairman, Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation in Umiam recently.
The project was sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in July 2016 for Rs. 99.13 crore. Under this project, the Ministry has developed facilities like a traditional healing centre, tribal rejuvenation centre, tourist information centre, multipurpose hall, log huts, cafeteria, sound and light show, souvenir shops, water sports zone, zip line, canopy walk, trekking routes, cycling track, last mile connectivity, caravan parking, public toilets and solid waste management facility.
Development of tourism in the North Eastern region is a prime area of focus for the Ministry of Tourism. The Ministry has taken several initiatives for the growth of domestic and international tourism in the region. One of the many challenges the region faces in the development of tourism is the absence of quality infrastructure, services and awareness about the array of tourism products the region has to offer.
The Ministry is carrying out a number of activities to handle the issues. On one hand the Ministry has given great impetus to the tourism infrastructure in the region under its flagship schemes of Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD. The Ministry has sanctioned 16 projects for Rs. 1349.04 crore covering all North Eastern states under its schemes of Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD. The Ministry is also actively working with other Central ministries like Culture, DONER, Road Transport and Highways, Civil Aviation and others for development of Tourism in the region. Special promotions in the domestic and international markets highlight the region’s diversity, tourism products and rich culture. The Ministry of Tourism has also set up hotel managements and food craft institutes for creating skilled manpower in the tourism and hospitality sector in the North Eastern region.
The efforts of the Ministry have shown positive results and Foreign Tourist Arrival 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. Domestic tourist visits reached 95.47 lakh in the year 2017 as against 77.71 lakh registering an impressive double digit growth of 22.8 per cent over 2016. The increased number of tourists in turn has created better employment opportunities for the local population in the region.
The Swadesh Darshan scheme is one of the flagship schemes of the Ministry of Tourism for development of thematic circuits in the country in a planned and prioritised manner. Under this scheme, the Government is focussing on development of quality infrastructure in the country with an objective of providing better experience and facilities to the visitors and fostering economic growth. The scheme was launched in 2014-15 and till date the Ministry has sanctioned 74 projects worth Rs. 5932.05 crore to 30 states and UTs. Thirty projects/major components of these projects are expected to be completed this year. Nine projects have been inaugurated till date under the scheme.
