BREAKING NEWS : DEPARTMENTAL REVIEW MEETING HELD UNDER THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE TOURISM MINISTER

TTT NEWS NETWORK

PATNA | 29 NOVEMBER 2025

A departmental review meeting was held on Saturday at the Tourism Directorate Auditorium under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Tourism Minister Shri Arun Shankar Prasad. This was the first meeting organized after the minister assumed charge. Tourism Secretary Shri Lokesh Kumar Singh welcomed the Hon’ble Minister. Through a PowerPoint presentation, the Secretary briefed the Minister on the departmental structure, functioning, and ongoing schemes.

Tourism Director-cum-Special Secretary Shri Udayan Mishra informed the Hon’ble Minister about various tourism circuits under the department, such as the Buddha Circuit, Eco Circuit, Sikh Circuit, Jain Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Shiv Shakti Circuit, and Gandhi Circuit. He also briefed him on the current status of ongoing state and central government schemes being run by the Tourism Department, as well as the expenditure incurred on these schemes.

Information was also shared regarding the status of schemes announced by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Bihar during his Pragati Yatras and the central budget announcements for the development of Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, and Rajgir.

In his address, the Hon’ble Tourism Minister said that the department’s presentation was highly encouraging and reflected the department’s sincere efforts toward enhancing tourism facilities in Bihar. He instructed that the Tourism Department prepare a roadmap for the next 100 days and work systematically to achieve the targets. He emphasized the need to work toward establishing Bihar Tourism as a brand at both the national and global levels.

He further stated that the number of current vacancies in the department should be reviewed and a report should be sent to the government so that the Tourism Department can play a major role in job creation. Departmental officials were directed to prepare and present this proposal.

The Minister said that tourism creates significant direct and indirect employment and that Bihar Tourism must continue to work actively in this direction. He added that efforts should be made to ensure that local businesses also benefit from tourism. Along with the construction of five-star hotels, attention should also be given to building budget hotels so that common people do not face difficulties in accessing basic facilities while visiting tourist destinations in Bihar.

The Minister noted that Bihar currently stands at the tenth position in the country in terms of tourist footfall, and instructed the department to work strategically to reach the fifth position within the next five years.

Present in the review meeting were: Managing Director of Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation, Shri Nand Kishore; Joint Secretary Smt. Indu Kumari; General Manager Shri Chandan Chauhan; Chief Engineer; Deputy Directors; Assistant Directors; and other officers and staff members.