Agartala, Feb 18 (TIWN): The first ever two-day India-Bangladesh tourism festival would be held in Agartala on Thursday, officials said here on Tuesday.

An official of the Tripura Tourism Department said, ministers, members of Parliament, top officials, experts, artists, singers, performers, tour operators of Bangladesh and Indian states of West Bengal and various northeastern states would participate in the festival, planned to boost tourism in the region.  "Seminars, discussions, cultural functions, visit to the important tourism spots, historical and archaeological sites are part of the two day (Feb 20-21) India-Bangladesh tourism festivals. Freedom fighters, leading politicians, writers and poets would also participate in the mega event," the official said.  Meanwhile, Tripura Tourism Department Secretary Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said that the under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the union government has sanctioned Rs 165 crore. 

"In the two-phases of Swadesh Darshan scheme, tourism spots and archaeological sites in more than 25 places in Tripura are being further developed. Various tourism infrastructures would also be either upgraded or to be newly constructed to facilitate the tourists," Dinkarrao said. 

Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel recently informed to Tripura''s Lok Sabha Member Pratima Bhowmik that the Union Tourism Ministry under the Swadesh Darshan scheme had sanctioned Rs 1,400 crore projects for the eight northeastern states in the past five years.  "Patel told me that under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, which promotes the development of theme-based tourist circuits, 16 projects were sanctioned during the past five years. Of the Rs 1,400 crore, Rs 896 crore was released," Bhowmik said quoting the central minister.