Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman's lakshya: Going deep on 'dweep'

The government will take up projects to boost port connectivity, infrastructure and amenities on India's islands, including in Lakshadweep, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday, doubling down on the government's campaign to promote Lakshadweep and other unexplored islands through Prime Minister Modi's maiden visit to the island cluster in January.
The FM pointed to an increasingly aspirational Indian middle class that is looking to travel and explore and said the government will encourage states to identify and develop iconic tourist centres, including spiritual destinations. The aim is to brand and market them globally, and set up a framework to rate them based on the quality of facilities and services they offer.
She also said the promotion of domestic tourism would boost opportunities for local entrepreneurship and provide employment, and that the govt would provide long-term interest-free loans to states to finance such development on a matching basis. The finance minister said that the decision to host G20 meetings across 60 cities helped showcase the country's diversity.
In line with the FM's push for tourism infrastructure development, the tourism ministry's allocation for Integrated Development of Tourist Circuits, functioning under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, saw an allocation of Rs 1,750 crore in the 2024-25 budget estimate (BE), an increase of Rs 338 crore as compared to Rs 1,412 crore in BE 2023-24. The objective of the Swadesh Darshan scheme is to develop theme-based tourist circuits on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner. At present, the ministry has sanctioned 76 projects under the scheme, covering 13 thematic circuits.
Allocation for domestic promotion and publicity, including for its 'market development assistance' scheme, is up from Rs 75 crore in BE 2023-24 to Rs 177 crore in BE 2024-25, which has focused heavily on promoting the North-East, and Jammu and Kashmir as tourist destinations.
"The special focus on domestic tourism, which represents a vibrant growth driver via the government's (various measures) are aimed at development of India's hidden gems," said Thomas Cook India chairman Madhavan Menon.