Patna, July 16: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved Rural Tourism Development Policy, 2013.

The nod would help promote rural tourism through private sector participation in infrastructure development.

“The government has come out with a policy to incentivise the private sector to provide facilities to tourists visiting villages. The idea is to help promote local people in decorating and maintaining their houses and their surroundings to attract the tourists’ attention,” cabinet department secretary Brajesh Mehrotra said.

Mehrotra said according to the policy, the government would help the local people engaged in manufacturing goods and products through handicraft, lac, Madhubani painting, carpet weaving and others. People willing to reap the benefit of the policy will have to submit their proposal to the tourism department in response to its advertisement.

According to the policy, the government would provide capital subsidy of either 50 per cent or Rs 4 lakh (which ever is less) of the project cost, the cabinet secretary said.

The cabinet also approved Rs 603 crore for salary payment of 66,104 teachers — appointed on fixed pay in primary and middle schools in the current financial year (2013-14), Mehrotra said. It also decided to include castes like Goswami, Sanyasi, Atith/Athit, Gosai, Jati/Yati, in the annexure II of backward class, he said.

The cabinet also sanctioned Rs 37.5 crore for the construction of Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna (CIMP) in the current fiscal, Mehrotra said.