India is home to some of the most beautiful islands in the world. However, the lack of proper infrastructure has left them unnoticed for far too long! Now, with the entire row with Maldives, we have finally brought our islands into the spotlight. In fact, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had to especially address the growing vigour of domestic tourism in Indians in her Budget 2024 speech. She spoke about infrastructure development, port connectivity, and more to bring India’s islands into the mainstream, especially Lakshadweep in her budget 2024 speech.
FM Emphasis On Infra Boost In Indian Islands In Budget 2024 Speech
During her interim budget 2024 speech in the Parliament, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed plans to boost domestic tourism, especially in India’s islands like Lakshadweep. The FM talked about undertaking infrastructure and port connectivity projects in various Indian islands to streamline the growing interest in domestic tourism. She especially highlighted Lakshadweep as being one of the destinations where infrastructural development will be a key focus.
In her speech, she said, “Projects for port connectivity, tourism infrastructure, and amenities will be taken up on our islands, including Lakshadweep. This will help in generating employment also.”
Also Read: Budget 2024: “Number Of Airports Have Doubled To 149 In Last 10 Years,” Says FM Nirmala Sitharaman
Increase In Tourism Budget Seeing The ‘Fervour For Domestic Tourism’
To “address the emerging fervour for domestic tourism,” Nirmala Sitharaman has decided to increase the budget estimate for the tourism industry by almost 2% from last year. In the financial year 2023-24, the tourism budget stood at ₹2,400 crores. It was, however, revised and settled at ₹1692.10 crores. This year it saw a spike of 2% and now stands at ₹2,449.62 crores.
In her speech, she even encouraged states “to take up comprehensive development of iconic tourist centres” by branding and marketing them better. For this, she said that the government will provide long-term interest-free loans as well. She spoke about how middle-class families now “aspire to travel and explore.” This, she believes, gives tremendous entrepreneurship opportunities to locals in various tourist places.
Which Indian island would you like to visit and explore? Let us know in the comments!
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva
For more such snackable content, interesting discoveries and the latest updates on food, travel and experiences in your city, download the Curly Tales App. Download HERE.