Bhubaneswar: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced plans to develop turtle trails along key nesting sites in Odisha, Karnataka, and Kerala, as part of the government’s efforts to boost eco-tourism. The initiative will also include three birdwatching trails along Pulicat Lake in Andhra Pradesh.
The budget also highlights the development of 15 archaeological sites, including Raigiri, Lothal, Sarnath, and Hastinapur, into immersive cultural destinations. This aims to preserve India’s heritage while making it more accessible and engaging for tourists.
Sitharaman also declared that under the International Big Cat Alliance, India will host the first Big Cat Summit in 2026, where 19 countries will meet for conservation.
The government will create five tourism destinations in five Purvodaya states and will make provisions for 4,000 e-buses, before proposing to set up five hubs for medical tourism and a £1,000-crore (Rs 10,000-crore) outlay for the Biopharma Shakti programme over the next five years. Also mentioned was the plan to develop 15 archaeological sites across the country.
