NEW DELHI: With the Commonwealth Games 2010 deadline fast approaching, the Indian Government has focused on increasing the availability of rooms, besides completing infrastructural projects like construction of stadia of international standards. Creation of additional room capacity in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode for Commonwealth Games 2010 in the National Capital Region (NCR) is under progress and so far over 55 percent hotel rooms were found to be complete. Indian Tourism, Housing and Poverty-Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja has given directions for completion of the remaining works well before the Commonwealth Games.

To meet the requirement of rooms availability, the Tourism Ministry has come up with a unique scheme of Bread and Breakfast Scheme. The scheme involves the private sector sprucing up a portion of the homes to provide Bed and Breakfast with all modern facilities, matching star hotels. The guests, besides getting quality accommodation, also manage to get a feel and catch a glimpse of the Indian culture.

Addressing the Consultative Committee Meeting attached to her Ministries here, Union Housing Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said that housing and tourism are the most important sources of employment-generation and have a large multiplier effect on the economy. She said contribution of tourism in the country’s GDP and total jobs was 5.92 percent and 9.24 percent during 2007-08. The Minister said infrastructure development of tourist destinations is a priority and the Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance of Rs.25 crore and Rs.50 crore for development of mega destinations and circuits as against Rs.5 crore and Rs.8 crore for normal destinations and circuits.

She said new initiatives have been taken to provide the required skilled manpower in hospitality sector which includes skill training in food production (cooks) and F&B (waiters) sector under the Hunar se Rozgar Tak scheme. She said Reserve Bank of India has de-linked credit for hotel projects from commercial real estate, thereby enabling hotel projects to avail credit at relaxed norms and reduced interest rates.

Kumari Selja focused on Incredible India campaign, wellness and rural tourism, cruise tourism and new policies of heliport and caravan tourism. She said the new thrust areas are Cruise Tourism and Wellness Tourism.

Tourism Secretary Sultan Ahmed, Housing Secretary Sujit Banerjee Poverty-Alleviation Secretary, HUPA Kiran Dhingra and other senior officials of both the Ministries attended the meeting.