Union Tourism Ministry Asks States for Timely Implementation of Mega Tourism Projects

Sujit  Banerjee Secretary India  Tourism

Union Secretary of Tourism Sujit Banerjee has urged the States and Union Territories for speedy implementation and monitoring of the projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism.  He was talking at a conference of tourism secretaries from state and Union Territories. He said several mega projects have been sanctioned during the last two years. This is our flagship programme for holistic development of destinations and circuits. We therefore, need to monitor the progress of these projects on a regular basis to ensure their timely implementation, Banerjee added.
The objective of the Conference was to interact with the States and Union Territories and share the experiences on innovative projects, initiatives and best practices adopted by the States for development and promotion of tourism. Experience of innovative projects and new initiatives were shared by some of the States. The upgradation of dhabas, restaurants, and introduction of a unique mobile guide facility in Madhya Pradesh, introduction of Hop on - Hop off tour and tourism friendly auto rickshaws with trained drivers in Chennai, Farm House tourism with village culture and cuisine as its main components in Punjab and constitution of Amer Development Authority for development and conservation of Amer in Jaipur were the key features of the presentations made during the conference. Thereafter, there were discussions among the States on these new initiatives.
To meet the demand of skilled manpower in the tourism industry, discussions on broad basing of hospitality education, training and skill development and certification were held. The initiatives taken by the Ministry on broad basing of hospitality education, 6-8 weeks skill training programmes for youth who have passed standard-8 for those employed in the sector and skill certification programme were highlighted. The States/UTs were urged to make use of such initiatives and central financial assistance for creating quality hospitality training infrastructure  as per the needs of the sector.