Kerala’s Caravan Tourism project gets a KSIDC leg up; loans on offer

-


Kerala’s Caravan Tourism project gets a KSIDC leg up; loans on offer

Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation to finance purchase of vehicles to be used in Caravan Tourism

The pandemic lull that had crept into the tourism scenario in Kerala had been offset to a great extent with fresh measures undertaken by the state’s Department of Tourism. Among them was the unique Caravan Tourism project, christened Keravan Kerala.

The Caravan Tourism policy, announced by Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas in September, has already generated good response from the industry since its online registration process began a month ago.

Envisaged as a stakeholder-friendly project, Keravan Kerala is set to bring tourism back on its on wheels. Furthering the boost that has been provided to the project, the state’s investment promotion agency Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has come out with an attractive scheme to provide loans up to Rs. 5 crore to purchase tourist caravans and set up caravan parks.

Enterprises keen on Caravan Tourism can avail loans

As per the scheme, an enterprise is entitled to get a loan of up to Rs. 1 crore per caravan, or 70 per cent of the cost, for purchasing up to five vehicles. The range of loan is between Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 1 crore per vehicle. The loans will be available only to buy new vehicles, said a Kerala Tourism source.

The interest would be at a floating 8.75 per cent, with a 0.5 per cent rebate for prompt repayment. The loan would have to be repaid in 84 months after a 12-month moratorium.

Enterprises such as existing resorts and resort groups, fleet owners and tour operators and repatriates would be eligible for the loan.

According to MG Rajamanickam IAS, Managing Director, KSIDC, “Keravan Kerala is going to be an initiative that redefines tourism in the state. The response to the policy within a short span of its announcement has been encouraging. As the Government’s nodal agency for industrial and investment promotion, KSIDC sees it as a highly rewarding investment avenue for entrepreneurs.”

Caravan TourismThe interior of a Caravan that will join the 'Keravan Kerala' Caravan Tourism project

Loan scheme to add thrust to the project

It is expected that the KSIDC loan scheme would provide additional muscle to the project, which is set to take off soon. The policy offers attractive incentives for the investors. The two components of the initiative are caravan operation and setting up caravan parks across the state, for which clear-cut procedures and protocols have been laid down to ensure a pleasant experience for visitors.

Going by the policy that has been outlined, the first 100 caravans will get a subsidy of Rs 7.50 lakh or 15 per cent of the cost. The next 100 vehicles will get Rs 5 lakh or 10 per cent of the cost.  For 201 to 300, it will be Rs 2.50 lakh or 5 per cent of the cost. The subsidy will be available for five caravans for an individual investor or a group, for three years, the tourism department source added.

Automotive companies, travel and hospitality players, and local self-government institutions have already elicited interest in the Keravan Kerala project, and the numbers are expected to grow.





https://www.digpu.com/?p=124978

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lathi Charge: A legalised method of police brutality

-
Image
"Every blow on our bodies this afternoon is like a nail driven into the coffin of British imperialism." These were the precise words of Sher-e-Punjab Lala Lajpat Rai when he got brutally " lathi-charged " by the law enforcers of Colonial India while he was protesting against the Simon Commission in October 1928.  Punjab Kesari Lajpat Rai eventually succumbed to his injuries, and his death gave off the spark for vengeance in the heart of numerous Indian revolutionaries. In December 1928, Shahid-e-Azam Bhagat Singh and his compatriot Shivam Rajguru assassinated the Lahore Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) John Saunders to avenge the murder of their mentor. "Lathi-Charge" has remained one of the most brutal and sensitive issues for Indians since the bygone days of the Indian National Movement. Thus, even after 75 years of liberation, India and her children continue to writhe under pain brought on by police brutality and paranoia. Both the Indian Penal...
Read more

Recruitment Scams and Paper Leaks in India: How the deserving youth of India is getting smothered under an obsolete system

-
Image
" India is an over populous country. " This statement is hardly news to anyone, but very few of us know that the average age of an Indian is just 29 years old. Hence, India is a fairly young country with a strong demographic dividend. However, the ambitions and dreams of millions of Indians lie stranded despite their ability and competence. Each new year brings fresh new hopes for millions of aspirants. These young people have expressed their strong will by deciding to dedicate the prime of their youth to preparing for numerous government examinations. In a country where social class divisions continue to be a notable phenomenon in determining one's future, Government jobs and recruitments offer the only genuine means for attaining an egalitarian society. Today, even this little scope for upliftment gets marred under the evils of Paper leaks and Recruitment scams. The problem of the youth, in essence, is the problem of the nation, and it is high time we illustrated the gr...
Read more

Supreme Court renders Modi-backed ED Chief's extension “illegal.” Amit Shah and the opposition enter into a war of words

-
Image
On July 11th, the Honourable Supreme Court went against the Modi Government's decision by annulling Enforcement Directorate Chief Sanjay Mishra's extension. The Supreme Court bench rendered Sanjay Mishra's tenure extension illegal because it went against their previous verdict. Sanjay Kumar Mishra's successive extensions got brought to the Court's attention through petitions moved by opposition leaders like Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jaya Thakur, Mahua Moitra, and others. The Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice B. R. Gavai held that Mishra could hold on to his office up to July 31st at most, during which the Modi Government must ensure a “smooth transition in the larger public interest."  The previous judgments by the Supreme Court on the matter Back in 2021, the Modi Government had, via the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, made amendments to the necessary laws to safeguard the extension of the tenure...
Read more