Patna: Academic work at the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management, to be set up at Bodhgaya, is likely to commence from 2019, tourism minister Pramod Kumar said on Tuesday.

The institute, which will impart courses in tourism and travel management, is being set up under the Centre's tourism promotion scheme and the state government has provided 3.99 acres of land for it. The Centre will provide Rs 50 crore to set up this institute.

"We have sent the institute's detailed layout plan to the Centre and a formal request has also been made for giving permission to start inaugural courses there at the earliest. We are hoping commencement of academic work in the institute from 2019," the tourism minister said.

Kumar said the Centre had committed a sum of Rs 600 crore for Bihar under the tourism sector, and part of the Prime Minister's special package announced for Bihar. He said Rs 200 crore has been sanctioned for developing places related to Buddhist circuit and a detailed project report worth Rs 179.42 crore had been sent for approval of the Centre.

Similarly, the Centre has promised to provide Rs 100 crore for development of places related to the Ramayan circuit in Bihar and the state has already sent the detailed project report for this scheme.

"We are hoping that the Centre will soon approve our plan, following which funds will be released under these ambitious projects," Kumar said.

The tourism minister then went on to share details of the projects for which the Centre had already released funds to the state. "A project worth Rs 41.53 crore had been sanctioned for development of Patna Sahib and all works have been completed under this project," he said. Similarly, works for development of Kanwariya path and Jain circuit are in the final stages.

Kumar alleged that successive Congress governments did nothing to develop places related to Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha, but the Narendra Modi government sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the purpose. "Those who have the surname Gandhi did nothing for Champaran, whereas the Narendra Modi government provided sufficient funds for the places related to Gandhi's movement," he said.