Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy today said the people in the Union Territory always respect French culture.
Addressing French citizens and also officials of the French Consulate here on the occasion of the celebration of the 229th French National Day, the Chief Minister said the encouragement and support of the French government to developmental projects in Puducherry were enormous.
He said the implementation of the Smart City Project following the signing of a memorandum of understanding with the government of France last year marked the intense collaboration between Puducherry and France.
"The collaboration has been constant, supportive and vibrant," he said.
He wished France emerges triumphant in the World Football championship to be held tomorrow.
Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, speaking on the occasion, said there has alway been good cooperation between France and Puducherry, which would grow better in the future.
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French Consul General in Puducherry Catherine Suard, welcoming the gathering, said the focus of the French government was on the implementation of the Smart City programme.
"New steps are being taken and we hope they will translate into projects for which France and its funding arm the AFD (Agence Francais Pour Development) are collaborating along with the authorities here," she said.
Health and Tourism Minister Malladi Krishna Rao, speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the celebration, said the Centre has earmarked Rs 153 crores to develop several tourism projects in the Union Territory.
He said the development of the beach and also relaying of the promenade there would be among the highlights of the projects.
The Minister said he had urged the Centre to encourage private international flight operators to link Puducherry with several countries.
Already, he said, some airlines have expressed interest to take up flight service here. "We can issue global tenders to strengthen the air service to broad-base the tourist map of Puducherry.
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