Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shows a red pouch carrying the Budget documents.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Loaded with political pragmatism, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 announced development of Vishnupath temple at Gaya and Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, both in Bihar, on the model of the Kashi-Vishwanath temple corridor to turn them into successful tourist destinations.

The Centre would also support the development of Nalanda and Rajgir in Bihar as tourist centres. The budget also announced an industrial node at Gaya on the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor.

In her speech, Ms. Sitharaman said that the states in the eastern part of the country are “rich in endowments” and have “strong cultural traditions” thus the government was looking at formulating a plan for Purvodaya, for the all-round development of the eastern region of the country covering Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

“This will cover human resource development, infrastructure, and generation of economic opportunities to make the region an engine to attain Viksit Bharat”, she said.

According to The Hindu Data team analysis, the total increase outlay for the tourism sector was 0.01 %. In her budget speech, Ms. Sitharaman said that efforts to position India as a global tourist destination will also create jobs and unlock opportunities in other sectors. “Tourism has always been a part of our civilisation. Our efforts in positioning India as a global tourist destination will also create jobs, stimulate investments and unlock economic opportunities for other sectors,” she said.

While Mahabodhi Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Vishnupad Temple is one of the most ancient Hindu shrines. Nalanda, home to the ruins of the ancient Nalanda university, is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“Rajgir holds immense religious significance for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. The 20th Tirthankara Munisuvrat temple in the Jain temple complex is ancient. The Saptarishi or the seven hot springs form a warm water Brahm Kund that is sacred. A comprehensive development initiative for Rajgir will be undertaken. Our government will support the development of Nalanda as a tourist centre, besides reviving Nalanda university to its glorious stature,” the Finance Minister said.

The budget also focused on development of tourism in Odisha.

“Odisha’s scenic beauty, temples, monuments, craftsmanship, wildlife sanctuaries, natural landscapes and pristine beaches make it an ultimate tourism destination. Our government will provide assistance for their development to Odisha as well,” the FM said in her speech.

There was disappointment though in the Travel and Tourism industry.

“While it is encouraging that the FM announced that India has the potential to become a global tourism hub, it would also have been nice to see budget recommendation supporting the same, such as an increase in the marketing and publicity budget, infrastructure status support to hospitality, abolishment of TCS (Tax Collected at Source) on travel and reduction in GST (Good and Services Tax) rates on tourism, travel and hospitality. The support given to spiritual tourism through corridor development and cruise tourism through tax adjustment on foreign ships in Indian shores will support these sub sectors,” Aashish Gupta, Consulting CEO, FAITH said.