The Minister of State of Tourism (I/C), Culture (I/C) and Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma took a review meeting in New Delhi of the progress of two new schemes PRASAD and creating tourist circuits around special themes. The Minister was briefed by the senior officers of the Ministry about the steps being taken for speedy implementation of the two schemes in Mission mode.
Addressing the officers, Sharma insisted that time-lines must be maintained at any cost during the implementation of the schemes and there should be close monitoring by the officers of the Ministry of Tourism. He also directed that land clearances and other statutory approvals must be obtained in a timely manner to avoid any litigation or complication at a later stage to avoid inordinate delays.
Referring to the tourist circuits from the Himalayan and North Eastern region, he said that several requests have been received from these states that more time should be kept for them for implementing schemes due to the difficult conditions in these states. He further instructed that the same should be kept in mind while deciding timelines for such states. Highlighting the importance of stakeholders in the projects, the Minister said that they must be closely involved in the process of implementation and their wisdom must be fully utilised.
With regard to the overall working of the ministry, Sharma urged the officers to clear all backlog and that no file should be pending. He also asked them to obtain the views, suggestions and feedback from the organisations/offices under the Ministry of Tourism within two weeks and resolve all their outstanding issues. The Minister also wanted the social media to be made interactive and queries to be responded to.
