Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia at New Delhi. During his meeting with the Union Finance Minister, the Chief Minister requested her to revive the ambitious 100 million dollar ADB project (phase-I) aimed at building world class infrastructure in the state to boost tourism activities.
He said the first phase of the project has 20 sub projects and the State Government intends to develop infrastructure at both poles of Atal Tunnel and develop it as a major tourist destination. She assured that the request of the state for reviving the ADB project will be considered and asked to send the proposal immediately.
The Union Finance Minister also asked the Chief Minister to use the window of National Infrastructure Pipeline for speedy funding and approval to accelerate the pace of development. She also congratulated the Chief Minister for successfully administering the first dose of Covid vaccination to eligible people in Himachal.
In a separate meeting with Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Thakur requested him for completion of approvals in a speedy manner for construction of Greenfield airport in Mandi district as well as expansion of airports in Shimla, Bhuntar and Kangra.
He said that Himachal Pradesh is a popular tourist destination and with construction and expansion of airports, the influx of tourists will increase considerably thereby boosting tourism in the state and generating employment opportunities.
He also thanked the Union Minister and Central Government for substantial reduction in tariff under UDAAN scheme which is a great initiative in public interest making the flights more affordable and economical. The Union Minister directed the officers of the department to expedite the matter and update him about the progress at the earliest. He also assured of all possible assistance to the hill state.