Tourism Development Fund to dominate NE Tourism Ministers' Meet

New Delhi, July 1 (UNI) A meeting of Tourism and Culture ministers of all the North-Eastern States will be held in Guwahati on July 3 and 4.

The proposal to set up a North-East Tourism Development Fund and review of the existing projects and plans relating to tourism and culture will be the focus of the meetiNG, official sources said.

The meeting, convened at the initiative of Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni, will discuss the status of projects sanctioned by the Centre for the North-Eastern States, issues concerning project formulation and implementation and encouragement to the private sector and local entrepreneurs for development of tourism infrastructure.

The status and working of Hotel Management and Food Craft Institutes in the North-East will also come for deliberations, the sources said.

Some specific issues are also on the agenda for discussion.

These include programme for 2550th Anniversary of Mahaparinivana of Lord Buddha; issues relating to Restricted Area Permit/Protected Area Permit/Inner Line Permit regions in North East States; review of the working of North-East Shilpagram at Dimapur; and progress of the multipurpose cultural complex scheme of the Culture Ministry.

In addition, the ministers will discuss status of the cultural festival of the North-East and initiatives in the library sector, particularly infrastructure development and library strengthening programme of the Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation.

Tourism and Culture Ministers of all the North-Eastern States -- Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura -- will participate in the meeting.

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