The Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Arun Jaitley laid the foundation stone of the new Office Complex of the Ministry of Tourism ‘Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Paryatan Bhawan’ at Mandir Marg (opp. Birla Mandir) in New Delhi on the occasion of World Tourism Day today. The foundation stone was laid in the presence of the Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma and Member of Parliament Meenakshi Lekhi.
Addressing the gathering, Jaitley said that it is a must to increase India’s share in world tourism by making a strong tourism policy. We have to work on low cost tourism to attract tourists, the Minister added. He said that we need modern airports and maximum inflow of flights for attracting international tourists. Indian Tourism Centres should be opened in those countries from where we receive maximum tourist inflow, he explained. Clean railway stations and a good experience of rail travel is another component along with availability of low and medium budget hotels. Highlighting the role of states, Jaitley said that for creating strong tourism infrastructure, it is important to take the help of states. The Finance Minister said that the new Paryatan Bhawan will now provide a base for working on all aspects of tourism and increasing the potential of tourism in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Sharma said that the Government fully understands the importance of tourism. It is possible for people to discover the cultures of different countries and cultivate respect for them via the medium of tourism. Sharma said that tourism is the engine of economic growth and we need to increase India’s share in world tourism from 0.68 to 1 % by 2020 to realise the full potential of this sector. Tourism helps in women empowerment and youth employment.
Naming the new office complex of Ministry of Tourism after Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay is a real tribute to the visionary leader who talked about integral humanism and antyodaya, he added.
The Secretary, Tourism, Vinod Zutshi said that Tourism is an important instrument of economic growth. We must utilize every opportunity to enhance Tourism in India which can help in building the economy and generate employment.
The Paryatan Bhawan is a project of Ministry of Tourism for Multilevel car parking cum new office complex. The New Building will be structure of G+3 storeys plus 2 basements with stack car parking with area of 23,000 Sq. Meter. Estimated cost for the project is Rs.150 cr approx. The building is planned to be a state of the art landmark on conservation of greens to reduce adverse effects of pollution. The building has been designed as an aesthetic blend of modern and traditional architecture and is access friendly to differently abled persons.
