✎ SASCI scheme funds states to develop globally renowned tourist centers with 100% central assistance.

Relevance for Banking, SSC & RBI Grade B exams: Polity & Governance

The Union Ministry of Tourism has operationalized the **‘Special Assistance Scheme for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres in States’** to enhance globally renowned tourist destinations across India. Under this scheme, the ministry has issued operational guidelines and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) template, inviting proposals from states for financial assistance. The evaluation criteria include transport connectivity, existing tourism ecosystem, capacity, service availability, project impact, and expected outcomes such as increased tourist footfall, higher spending, job creation, and private investment attraction. In 2024-25, 40 projects across 23 states were approved, including two in Karnataka worth ₹3,295.76 crore, entirely funded by the Centre. Additionally, the Expenditure Department revised SASCI guidelines for 2025-26, allowing states that missed funding in 2024-25 to avail up to ₹250 crore for tourism projects, with Nagaland, Mizoram, and Himachal Pradesh receiving full allocations. The scheme is monitored through a **Programme Management Information System (PMIS)**, ensuring transparency and progress tracking, while a **National Institutional Framework**—comprising the Central Approval and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) and Mission Directorate (MD)—facilitates inter-ministerial coordination among stakeholders like the Ministries of Culture, Civil Aviation, and Environment.

For banking and SSC aspirants, SASCI underscores the government’s **multi-sectoral developmental approach**, linking tourism growth with infrastructure, employment, and economic revival—key themes in exams like IBPS PO, RBI Grade B, and SSC CGL. The scheme’s **DPR evaluation criteria** (connectivity, ecosystem, impact) mirror governance and project appraisal questions in banking exams, while its **PMIS and inter-ministerial coordination** highlight digital governance and policy implementation—critical for RBI Grade B’s economic and social development segments. SSC aspirants may encounter questions on **tourism’s role in GDP growth** or **scheme allocations**, as seen in polity and economy sections. The revised guidelines and state-wise allocations also reflect **fiscal federalism** and **budgetary priorities**, relevant for descriptive answers in mains exams.

Source: PIB (Press Information Bureau)

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