The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India recently requested the Center in their letter addressed to Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance, and Prahlad Singh Patel, Minister of State for Tourism (IC), Ministry of Tourism, Government of India to include ‘tourism’ under Concurrent List of the Constitution and bestow the industry status over the Hospitality Sector.
In the letter, Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President stated, “Since major budgetary allocations in the tourism sector are made by the Central Government whereas the States have a larger role in implementation, by bringing the tourism under the Concurrent List will eliminate all uncertainties with regard to demarcation of responsibilities between the Centre and the States.”
Highlighting the needs of the hospitality sector, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kohli stated that a favourable move would help in getting the benefits allotted to an industry. The move will help hotels and restaurants to procure land allotted by the Government in industrial areas. Moreover, hotels and restaurants will be able to enjoy industrial rates for water and electricity.