Puducherry deserves to be on India's tourist map: Kiran Bedi

Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi who will take the oath as Puducherry's new governor tomorrow, said that her focus at the moment is to put the Union Territory on the tourist map of India, as it is a great destination and deserves no less attention than Goa, or any other popular tourist spot in the country.

"It's all about taking Puducherry to greater prosperity and putting it on the tourist map of India. Puducherry deserves it, no less than Goa. Puducherry was part of my Union Territory cadre as a police officer and I always longed to come here, because Puducherry was a great destination," Bedi told ANI here.

Asserting that she was to see a prosperous Puducherry in all respects including tourism, agriculture, health and fisheries, Bedi said that the Union Territory had amazing resources and the potential to become a great tourist destination.

Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee appointed former Bedi as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.

Bedi will succeed Lieutenant General (Retd.) Ajay Kumar Singh, who was appointed in July 2013. He was given additional responsibility of the administration of Puducherry in July 2014.

Talking about her priority as the Lt. Governor of Puducherry, Bedi told ANI: "My priority will be bottom-up approach. I would like to make a constable and a school teacher feel that he or she is the most important."

"We are here to carry forward the current momentum of development in all areas with integrity, fairness and no assurances in false," she said.

"I don't consider it as power; to me it's a resource to deliver," said Bedi.