Mumbai, Dec 1 : On expected lines, at least 17 states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party solo or as NDA alliance have bagged the lion's share of the Centre's Rs 3,295.76 crore as Special Assistance, from the total 23 states for developing 40 new tourism sites, announced by the government.

The BJP-led NDA-ruled 17 states have cornered a whopping Rs 2,541.48 crore -- almost 75 per cent; while the six INDIA bloc-ruled states were granted barely Rs 754.28 crore -- roughly 25 per cent, of the total amount (Rs 3,295.76 crore).

Boosting the country's tourism sector, Union Minister for Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat made the announcement on Friday, giving the Centre's approval to the new 40 projects spread in the 23 states, under the Special Assistance to State/UTs for Capital Investment (SASCI) Scheme.

The allocation would be utilized to develop iconic tourist centres of global standards to ensure 'the whole world sees every nook and corner of Bharat, one iconic site at a time!', gushed the Minister.

Shekhawat's social media post on X -- retweeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- said that these projects worth Rs 3,295.76 crore would help foster local economies and generate employment opportunities through sustainable tourism.

Besides, these would help decongest popular tourist centres, integrate advanced technologies, promote sustainable practices, and enhance public-private partnerships to enhance infrastructure and visitor experiences.

Shekhawat assured that a host of measures would be undertaken to ensure a world-class experience for everyone who wishes to soak in India's natural, cultural and historic grandeur.

Commenting on the data, Pune-based social activist Prafful Sarda said, 'This is not surprising as the BJP-NDA has always adopted a 'step-motherly' attitude towards all Opposition-parties ruled states in the past 10 years'.

'This was witnessed during the global calamity and the Covid-19 pandemic when Gujarat got very high doses of life-saver drugs like Remdesivir and Tocilizumab, though the number of cases there were much lower than states like Maharashtra or Delhi. Ditto was the case with other Central funds, grants, assistance with BJP-NDA states being 'most favoured' compared to the others,' Sarda told IANS.

Under the SASCI scheme, among the BJP-NDA states, Odisha is the biggest beneficiary with Rs 199.89 crore, Madhya Pradesh (Rs 199.30 crore), Meghalaya (Rs 198.54 crore), Assam (Rs 191.88 crore), Goa (Rs 188.20 crore) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 172.35 crore).

Below them are: Sikkim (Rs 165.56 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 154.29 crore), Gujarat (Rs 151.06 crore), Chhattisgarh (Rs 147.66 crore), Bihar (Rs 147.12 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 146.05 crore), Rajasthan (Rs 145.92 crore) and Uttarakhand (Rs 100.00 crore).

The ruling alliance states coming under the double-digit assistance are Tripura (Rs 97.70 crore), Manipur (Rs 89.48 crore), and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 46.48 crore).

Among the Congress-INDIA bloc-ruled states are: Karnataka (Rs 199.17 crore), Tamil Nadu Rs 169.90 crore), Kerala (Rs 155.05 crore), Telangana (Rs 141.84 crore), Punjab (Rs 53.45 crore) and Jharkhand Rs 34.87 crore).

However, at least seven states and one Union Territory - West Bengal, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, UT of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh -- have been left high and dry without any financial assistance by the Ministry of Tourism.

The list proposes the development of one new tourism scheme in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jharkhand, Punjab and Tripura; and two projects each in the remaining 18 states.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: qnajmi@gmail.com)

/IANS