By IANS
New Delhi : Out of 248 projects for development and promotion of tourism in the country during the current financial year, 71 projects have been sanctioned for the northeast, Union Minister for Tourism Ambika Soni informed the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.
Soni stated in a written reply that Sikkim leads the northeast states with 23 such projects, followed by Nagaland with 20 projects. Other northeast states are Arunachal Pradesh (nine), Assam (five), Meghalaya (two, Mizoram (three and Tripura (nine).
The total amount sanctioned for these projects for the northeast states is Rs.1.47 billion.
The minister informed the house that Jammu and Kashmir, which along with the northeast states is facing internal security problems for the last few decades, has maximum number of 34 tourism projects at a total cost of Rs.681.3 million.
The government is making an attempt to give a further boost to tourism in Jammu and Kashmir after a slow down in terror activities.
The opposition parties have time and again blamed the union government for ignoring the financial needs of the northeast states.