New Delhi, March 24 Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in her budget speech on Tuesday, allocated ₹412 crore for the tourism sector and said the government will undertake the redevelopment of the Delhi Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology to support the hospitality sector by creating skilled manpower.
Gupta announced an increase in allocation for tourism to ₹412 crore from ₹121 crore last year, along with a provision of ₹173 crore for Art, Culture and Language.
Announcing the budget, Gupta said grand welcome gates will be installed at 13 major entry points, and roundabouts and intersections across the city will be beautified, and around 1,000 modern toilet blocks will be constructed, for which ₹300 crore has been allocated.
With the cooperation of the central government, she said that the Town Hall will be developed as a Global Heritage Centre in line with the vision of "One City, One Global Destination", aimed at transforming Delhi into a world-class cultural hub with better infrastructure, connectivity and cultural experience.
Delhi lacks a "Sadan" of its own while other states have such facilities, Gupta said, adding that a provision of ₹10 crore has been made for the construction of a "Delhi Sadan".
She further mentioned that under the "Branding Delhi" initiative, a provision of ₹50 crore has been allocated this year to advance the Tourism Master Plan, Tourism Policy and digital content development.
For the first time, an International Film Festival will be organised in Delhi to further establish the city on the global cultural map, she said.
She said the government has been promoting a "concert economy" and will introduce a new Delhi Film Policy with an allocation of ₹5 crore to give a boost to creativity, employment and cultural expression.
The government is also introducing an AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics) Policy to strengthen the rapidly growing ecosystem and create opportunities for youth in emerging sectors such as the creative economy, gaming industry and digital storytelling, positioning them as contributors to Delhi's global cultural identity.