Delhi, Dec 11: With an impetus to Odisha tourism, the Centre has allocated at least Rs 200 crore for development of tourism in Satakosia & Hirakud under ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale’ scheme.

Out of the provision, Rs 131 Crore has already been already credited to the state, said Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

While, Rs 99.90 crore has been sanctioned for the Hirakud project, Rs 99.99 crore has been earmarked for development of tourism in Satakosia cluster during fiscal 2024-25.

Apart from it, the Centre has allocated Rs 70.82 crore for development of coastal circuit in Odisha including Gopalpur, Barkul, Satapada and Tampara beach.

The Minister in his statement said,tourism infrastructure and products is primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. However, the Ministry of Tourism, through its Central Sector Schemes for tourism infrastructure, i.e. Swadesh Darshan (SD), Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD 2.0), Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD); a sub-scheme of the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme, and Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI), supports the efforts of State Governments (SGs) and Union Territory Administrations by extending financial assistance for the development of tourism experiences, amenities and infrastructure at tourist destinations, including at tribal destinations in the North-Eastern Region.

Further, the Ministry of Tourism during the financial year 2025-26 has launched ‘Development of Homestays in Tribal Areas’ as a sub-scheme of Swadesh Darshan under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JUGA) for development of homestays in tribal areas. The scheme envisages the development of 1000 homestays to tap the tourist potential of the tribal areas and to provide an alternate livelihood to the tribal communities by providing funding support for development and renovation of tribal homestays and village community requirements, including in the North-Eastern Region. It also encourages States/UTs to provide further assistance required to uplift the livelihood of the local community.