Kerala - Kannur   

Malabar tourism to get special focus

Staff Reporter

UNDER ONE UMBRELLA: Tourism Minister K.C. Venugopal and Cultural Affairs Minister A.P. Anilkumar sharing a lighter moment at the Kerala Folklore Akademi at Chirakkal in Kannur on Sunday.

KANNUR: Minister for Tourism K.C. Venugopal has said that the Malabar region will be accorded special attention in the State Government's tourism development projects as the Tourism Department is launching various schemes for cultural promotion as part of tourism development.

Inaugurating the Folklore Museum set up at the Kerala Folklore Akademi headquarters at the Kizhakke Kovilakam at Chirakkal here on Sunday, Mr. Venugopal said that the Twelfth Finance Commission had allocated Rs.12 crores to the Tourism Department to promote cultural institutions as part of promoting tourism potential in the State. He said the State got the biggest ever Central Plan allocation of Rs.48 crores for the tourism sector this year and consent for an additional Rs.30 crores had also been sanctioned. A lion's share of this allocation would be utilised for developing tourism sector in the Malabar region, he said.

Mr. Venugopal said the department would take the initiative for renovating the Chirakkal Chira (a big tank facing the Kizhakke Kovilakam) if permitted by the Chirakkal royal family that owns it. He also laid the foundation stone for the open-air stage at the akademy named after the late poet Cherusseri.

Inaugurating the new `padippura' (traditional-style entrance to the kovilakam), Cultural Affairs Minister A.P. Anil Kumar said that the akademi was different from other such akademies as the artistes it takes care of were ordinary people having no star value but great devotion to their art. In the one decade of its existence, the akademi had done many things to promote folk culture and folk artistes in the State, Mr. Anil Kumar said.

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