New Delhi, Jan 8 (NDTV): Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan is the new spokesperson of the government's famous Incredible India campaign to market the country to tourists abroad. Mr Bachchan, 73, is to receive a letter today, said sources, informing him of his selection.

Mr Bachchan is being recruited directly by the government, unlike actor Aamir Khan, who was removed from the campaign on Wednesday evening. Amid reports that Mr Khan was being punished for suggesting recently that India is experiencing growing religious intolerance, Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that the actor featured in the Incredible India campaign through an ad agency, McCann Erickson, whose contract with the government had expired.

Mr Khan yesterday, stressing that he had been the campaign spokesperson for 10 years, said, "It is the prerogative of the government to decide whether they need a brand ambassador for any campaign, and if so, who that ambassador should be. I respect the decision of the government to discontinue with my services."

"Whether I am brand ambassador or not, India will remain Incredible, and that's the way it should be," the 50-year-old said.