The Central Government would provide technical and financial assistance for the development of an ‘Artificial Beach’ on both sides of Pt Ravishankar Reservoir for which the Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB) should send the proposal to the Tourism Ministry, said K J Alphons, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism on Friday.
The Minister made the announcement while accepting the demand raised by State Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar.
Alphons was in the district to launch the Central government’s ‘Tribal Tourism Circuit’ under its Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
The Minister unveiled a plaque to launch the ‘Tribal Tourism Circuit’ in Chhattisgarh.
The circuit comprises --Jashpur-Kunkuri-Mainpat-Kamleshwarpur-Maheshpur-Kurdar-Sarodhdadar-Gangrel-Kondagaon-Nathiyanavagaon-Jagdalpur-Chitrakote- and Tirathgarh.
Appreciating the work done by Chhattisgarh Tourism Board (CTB), Alphons said that the Cottage at the tourist site is having good architectural design and termed the surrounding of reservoir as ‘God’s own Paradise’.
He jokingly said one can come and write poems and literature in this quite place.
The Minister said that Chhattisgarh is the second circuit after Manipur to be launched. There are 74 projects under Swadesh Darshan Scheme to be developed at a cost of Rs 6000 crores and 30 projects would be completed this year.
The tourism sector has generated around 14.62 million jobs in the country during the last four years. Last year, Indian tourism sector grew by 14% while global growth was 7% including increase of revenue by 20%. The ambitions have been kept high in tourism with earning target of 100 billion, Alphons said.
He also spoke on the Cleanliness Mission taken up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi which has spread awareness regarding cleanliness even among the children.
He also spoke on other flagship programmes of the Central government, like LPG distribution, free electricity to poor, construction of houses for all by 2022 and others.
The Minister appreciated the initiatives taken by Chhattisgarh Government for public welfare.
Earlier, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar said that Chhattisgarh does not have any sea beach, so on banks of Gangrel Dam, should be developed as ‘Artificial Beach’ so that domestic tourists can have the feel.
He urged the Tourism Ministry to sanction the project by providing technical and financial assistance.
The Minister also laid stress on the ‘Ram-gaman Marg’ proposal.
State Culture and Tourism Minister Dayaldas Baghel gave the welcome address.
Director General Tourism Satyajeet Rajan also appreciated the work of resort and said that there are a total of four projects in the country and two are being implemented in Nagaland, one in Telangana but Chhattisgarh is the first tribal circuit to be inaugurated in country.