Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addresses the National Conference on Tourist Police Scheme held in New Delhi on October 19

Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla addresses the National Conference on Tourist Police Scheme held in New Delhi on October 19

Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla addressed the National Conference on Tourist Police Scheme on October 19 in New Delhi. Union Minister for Tourism Shri G. Kishan Reddy and MoS Tourism Shri Shripad Yesso Naik also graced the event. The Ministry of Tourism in co-ordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) organized this conference. Shri Arvind Singh, Secretary (Tourism), Shri Balaji Srivastava, Director General (BPR&D, MHA), Joint Secretary (Foreigners division, MHA), State Tourism Secretaries of Rajasthan, Kerala, Goa & Meghalaya, DGPs/ IGPs of States/UTs and other senior officials of MHA, MoT, BPR&D were also present during the conference. The report on the ‘Tourist Police Scheme’ prepared by BPR&D was deliberated upon and BPR&D also shared the finding and recommendations of the report.

Referring to increasing digitization in the tourism sector, Shri Birla said that in the information era, tourists ordinarily get every information related to their travel through mobile. In this regard, Shri Birla emphasized on developing a mobile application which provides all relevant information related to the tourists to their destinations in multiple languages. He said that to ensure safe and comfortable travel, this app should provide updated and complete information about hotels, taxis, guides, etc., among other facilities, and facilitate police assistance whenever needed. Shri Birla stressed on the need for quick police action in cases of crimes against tourists, saying that such steps increase the confidence of tourists and create a good environment. Shri Birla welcomed the establishment of tourism police by several State Governments from the point of view of tourism security and advised all the States and the Central Government to share best practices among themselves.

Regarding giving better security to the tourists, Shri Birla said that it is necessary to give adequate training to the tourist police for effective security and these police personnel should have knowledge of many languages and use of new technology. Referring to the hosting of the upcoming G20 summit by India, Shri Birla said that the Heads of State, leaders, and officials of the G20 countries will visit major tourist destinations of the country. This event will give us an opportunity to improve security and policing in popular tourist areas. Shri Birla opined that the country where the law and order are better, tourist inflow improves. Therefore, it is necessary to train the police in this regard. Emphasizing on the need for learning languages by tourist police, Shri Birla said that language is a medium to connect us with culture and country and therefore all tourist places should have multilingual tourist helpline facilities, which can provide information to tourists in their language. Simultaneously, tourist guides, especially female guides, should be multilingual.

During his address, Shri G Kishan Reddy said that India always has something for every kind of traveler, ranging from lofty mountains to fast flowing rivers, rolling valleys and sand-dunes. India offers a myriad of fascinating places of interest, natural beauty, and vibrant culture, which are globally unparalleled.  As we celebrate the Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, in the past 75 years India has become synonymous with tourism, spirituality, transformation, culture, and diversity. It is a matter of great pride to celebrate record beating expansion, leading India to become the 5th largest economy in the world.

Union Minister added that the government has opted a 360-degree approach to encourage the Tourism sector. Union Minister said that our focus is on safe, responsible, and sustainable tourism which are the thrust areas of the upcoming National Tourism Policy2022. The Union Minister further said that unscrupulous elements are active mostly at hotels, at entry-exit points of airports, railway stations and bus terminals. He strongly condemned the incidents of theft fraud incidents at some of the tourist places and asked the police administration to deal with them forcefully. We should have a policy of zero tolerance for incidents threating safety and security of tourists, he said. Shri Reddy added that such incidents tarnish the image of our country. So, to ward off all these issues, there is an urgent need to put in place proper systems. He added that police should be trained to secure active participation of Civil Societies, and NGOs in tourists places.

Shri Reddy said that now as the presidency of G20 shall also be with India from December 2022 for a period of One-year, it may be taken as a great opportunity for promotion of India Tourism products. We can showcase India to them and give them best experiences so that they may work as Ambassadors for the Indian Tourism products in their respective countries.

Shri Shripad Yesso Naik highlighted that Tourism sector contributes around 5.02% of India’s GDP and has supported around 14.87% of total direct & in-direct employment during the Financial Year 2018-19 and contributed Foreign Exchange Earnings of Rs. 2.12 lakh crore (USD 30 billion) in Indian Economy during the year 2019. Tourism in India has contributed significantly to making India the 5th largest economy in the world, though we are yet to optimize its full potential. Shri Naik added that safety and security is the first and foremost concern for any tourist, whether International or Domestic. Security related issues around the globe impact and affect tourism industry on local as well as global level. For any global tourist, India is not just to place to see or visit, but a destination to experience and get connected with people, culture, cuisine, and many more. For enriching the experience of the tourists visiting India, we need to be more focused about the safety & Security related aspects in & around the tourist destinations and across India, in general.

Secretary Tourism Shri Arvind Singh in his concluding remarks said that India’s global tourism indices will go up by improving the safety and security aspects of tourism and would go a long way in making India one of the favorable destinations. He added that this conference is another step to take measures to improve the confidence of travelers and implementation of this kind of uniform Tourist Police Scheme in the states and UTs, will result in safer tourism.

The objective of the National Conference on Tourist Police Scheme was to bring Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Home Affairs, Bureau of Police Research & Development, and State Govts/ UT Administration on the same platform, so that they may work together in close coordination with the State/UT Police department and sensitize them about the specific requirements of the foreign & domestic tourists for effective implementation of Uniform Tourist Police Scheme at pan-India level. This will change the safety & security-related perception of India at global level and will help in making India a must-visit destination around the globe.

Union Tourism Minister Sh G. Kishan Reddy virtually addresses Conference on Buddhist Circuit at Varanasi, UP

Buddhist Circuit is India’s Pride: Sh G. Kishan Reddy

Buddhist sites currently receive approximately 6% of nationwide foreign tourist arrivals with Sarnath and Bodh Gaya leading the pack: Shri G. Kishan Reddy

Uttar Pradesh has maximum 6 places related to Lord Buddha and rapid development work is going on at all these sites: Shri Neelkanth Tiwari

Key Highlights

  • Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference organized by Tourism Ministry scheduled from 04th October – 08th October 2021 is underway
  • Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Tourism Ministry sanctioned 5 projects of Rs 325.53 crore for Buddhist circuit development in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh

Union Minister for Tourism, Culture & DoNER, Shri G Kishan Reddy virtually addressed the Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour and Conference organised in Varanasi today. State Minister (Independent Charge) Tourism, Culture & Religious Affairs, Uttar Pradesh Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari graced the event as Chief Guest. Secretary of Ministry of Tourism, GoI Shri Arvind Singh; DG of Ministry of Tourism, GoI Shri G Kamla Vardhan Rao; ADG of MoT, GoI Smt. Rupinder Brar and other officers of the Ministry and State government were also present on this occasion.

During his virtual address, Shri G. Kishan Reddy said that Buddhism originated in ancient India more than 2500 years ago and spread through much of Asia. “With close to 500 million followers, Buddhists represent 7% of the world’s total population. The Indian Buddhist heritage is of great interest to the followers of Buddhism all over the world”, he added.

Shri Reddy further said that the philosophy of Lord Buddha guides many Indians even as they pursue other religions. He added that the Buddhist circuit is India’s pride. The important Buddhist sites currently receive approximately 6% of nationwide foreign tourist arrivals with Sarnath and Bodh Gaya leading the pack.

Shri Reddy added that the Tourism Ministry is working with various Ministries and organisations. Our aim is to improve the hard and soft infrastructure to improve the tourist and pilgrim experience of all the sites. “In this very special year which marks the 75th anniversary of our nation’s independence, we must introspect and pledge to do everything to make India the number one country for tourism. As we celebrate the various events nationwide through ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, I do request your support in maximising participation”, he added.

Dr. Neelkanth Tiwari said that Uttar Pradesh has a maximum of 6 places related to Lord Buddha and rapid development work is going on at all these sites. The international airport at Kushinagar is ready to be inaugurated. Shri Tiwari further added that after the arrival of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the condition of Varanasi has changed and work has been done on projects worth several thousand crores. Minister gave details of the Buddhist Circuit and other religious tourist places.

Shri Arvind Singh said that the Ministry of Tourism has been appointed as the nodal ministry to work on reviving India as the Global Centre of Buddhist Culture and Tourism. “Under its flagship scheme “Swadesh Darshan”, which focuses on the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits, the Ministry has undertaken multiple projects as part of the Buddhist Circuits in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh”, he added.

Shri Arvind further said that under Uttar Pradesh Buddhist Circuit, Shravasti, Kushinagar, and Kapilvastu, Projects have been undertaken for infrastructure development which will be completed in 2021. “The construction of a Cultural Centre at Bodhgaya, Bihar is also underway. Under the PRASHAD scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned multiple projects in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Sikkim. In Varanasi, projects worth Rs 9.5 Cr, focusing on the development of Buddhist structures, have been completed. These include a sound and light show at Dhamek Stupa and a Buddha Theme Park at Sarnath”, he added.

During the conference COO of IATO, Mr. Rahul Chakravarty gave a presentation on the potential of the Buddhist Circuit and Jt. GM of IRCTC Dr. Achyut Singh gave a presentation on Buddhist Circuit Tourist Train and the facilities being provided by IRCTC on the train which includes Mini Library. The major objective of the conference was to present the efforts and developments that have taken place in the Buddhist Circuit by the Government of India and to discuss and deliberate the way forward for the promotion of Buddhist Tourism in India. This conference was part of the Ministry of Tourism’s Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour scheduled from 04th October – 08th October 2021.

The Tourism Ministry has taken a four-fold development strategy that focuses on improving the connectivity via air, rail, and roads, enhancing the tourism infrastructure and dependent services, streamlining branding and promotion, and showcasing the culture and heritage. Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 5 projects worth Rs325.53 crore have been sanctioned for Buddhist circuit development in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh and those sanctioned projects are under different stages of implementation. While works of Rs 44.19 crore on three projects have been sanctioned under PRASHAD Scheme; in Varanasi, two projects including a sound and light show at Dhamek Stupa and a Buddha Theme Park, Sarnath, worth costing Rs 9.5 crores for the development of Buddhist structures have been completed.

In addition to the development of tourism-related infrastructure under the various schemes of the Ministry of Tourism, emphasis is also being put on promoting the various Buddhist Sites within India and overseas markets. As part of the above, India Tourism Offices in overseas markets regularly participate in a number of travel and tourism fairs as well as exhibitions wherein India’s Buddhist Sites are promoted. Also, Ministry of Tourism organises Buddhist Conclave every alternate year with the objective of promoting India as a Buddhist Destination and major markets around the globe. The upcoming International Buddhist Conclave is scheduled from 17th to 21st November 2021. Ministry has undertaken multiple projects under branding and promotion that are currently in the pipeline including a live virtual exhibition at national museum, web portal, annual events calendar, social media marketing, campaigns in key source markets like Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, etc.

The Ministry has also worked on projects for capacity building that include Linguistic Tourist Facilitator training in Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese languages. 525 people have been trained in these languages between 2018 to 2020, and 600 more will be trained between 2020 and 2023. This is especially important as Buddhism, has branched out to a large part of Asia, and 97% of the world’s Buddhists are concentrated in East and Southeast Asia alone. Hence it is important to develop a linguistic connect with the tourists.