Himachal Pradesh: Himachal Pradesh, which attracts visitors from all over the world in terms of tourism, has given an important message by bringing 1,00,87,440 tourists in a record six months in the year 2024, but Himachal Pradesh not getting a place in the most important ‘Special Assistant to States for Capital Investment Scheme’ of the Central Government raises many questions whether the possibilities of Himachal Pradesh becoming a global tourist destination have vanished? Today, the most important need of the state is to promote ancient tourism and culture, yet why does the central survey team deny the fact that Himachal Pradesh is a small state and the possibilities here seem less. The political scenario of the state is also being ignored behind not getting a place in the important central scheme because earlier in a report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had said during his visit to Himachal Pradesh that “Congress leaders of Himachal Pradesh are not allowing the central projects to be completed properly and the state government is running on central assistance.” Now Himachal Pradesh must have been rejected on the basis of this fact, but this fact can definitely be given a place in it.
What is ‘Special Assistant to States for Capital Investment Scheme’
‘Special Assistant to States for Capital Investment Scheme’ is an important tourism development scheme of the Government of India under which financial assistance of maximum Rs 250 crore is provided for the purpose of promoting and developing the state’s tourist destination at the global level. In this, the state has to submit a factual list of the best tourist destinations of its state, after which the central survey team visits and releases financial assistance after looking at the possibilities of that tourist destination. Among the important parameters, the landscape of the tourist destination, connectivity and glimpses of ancient heritage are considered important.
Himachal Pradesh being mainly a hilly state, the immense possibilities of tourism here cannot be denied, but the non-matching of parameters during the state visit of the Central Survey Teams is not a digestible thing. The state becomes very popular among tourists every year during snowfall, yet if no effort is made to preserve the heritage here, then it also highlights the lack of coordination between the Central Government and the State Government. The state government is already facing financial problems and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has been accusing the central government of not getting central assistance. However, this year, a total amount of Rs 3,295.76 crore has been released to 23 states under the ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment Scheme’ (SASCI Scheme), in which Himachal Pradesh is not included. The absence of an International Convention Centre in the state also raises big questions. Activities like river rafting are not being promoted by the central government in the state, as a result of which, the movement of tourists has increased in the tribal districts of the state, which include Kinnaur, Kullu, Chamba and Lahaul Spiti, but developmental disputes always raise big questions.
Big conflict between CM Sukhu and MPs
On not giving assistance to Himachal Pradesh in the tourism development scheme, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu raised a big question on the four BJP MPs of the state, “I do not understand whether the MPs of the state even want the welfare of the state or not” because on not getting a place for Himachal Pradesh in the central project, the four BJP MPs of the state, including Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur, Kangana Ranaut from Mandi, Rajiv Bhardwaj from Kangra and Suresh Kashyap from Shimla, had released a list on their social media accounts. Now the big question arises that are the state leaders able to convey their views to the central ministers in the right way to develop the tourism areas of the state or is it just politics that dominates.
If these conditions remain in the state for a long time, it will not take much time for Himachal Pradesh to lag behind completely.
The financial condition of the state has been getting a base from the central schemes, but if such a tourism project, which is an important need of the present government, is not implemented, then it is necessary to have the support of the central government in every possible way because apart from being a small state, it is currently a loss-making state.
