Saturday, August 27 2005 16:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Pondicherry: As part of Government's efforts to promote tourism, the Pondicherry administration has drawn up a plan to provide a subsidy of Rs One crore to private entrepreneurs coming forward to set up hotels and accommodation centres in the Union Territory.

After declaring open a private hotel in Pondicherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy told reporters that the extension of subsidy was part of the government's efforts to promote tourism and also associate the private players to supplement the Government's endeavour.

Rangasamy said the Government was weighing several options to launch tourism related projects on the sprawling site close to the Bay of Bengal here where the government-run distillery was functioning in the past.

The distillery was wound up and was shifted some five years ago to the Villiannor block and the site now available would be used for tourism projects.

He also inaugurated a two-day science exhibition organised by the Pondicherry unit of Students Congress here.

The Chief Minister said the Education department would hold a state level science fair soon.