tourism in india upsc 2022

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National Tourism Policy UPSC Notes

National Tourism Policy [UPSC Notes]

A complete national tourism policy would be unveiled in India within the next two months, according to Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. Information indicates that the government has discussed this with all key stakeholders, including the state governments, financial institutions, and travel agencies.

Based on various developments that had occurred since the last policy was created in 2002, the Ministry of Tourism prepared a draft of the National Tourism Policy, taking into account important recommendations from NITI Aayog , the Sectoral Group of Secretaries, international best practices from organizations like the UNWTO, and policies and strategies developed by other nations. So the debate surrounding this policy is important from the UPSC exam perspective.

Draft National Tourism Policy

The National Tourism Policy 2022 is part of the vision of New India on a high trajectory of growth and prosperity. The new Policy is a holistic framework for sustainable and responsible growth of the tourism sector in the country.

The policy’s objectives include increasing the framework conditions for the country’s tourist industry’s growth, assisting the travel and tourism sector, and promoting related businesses.

National Tourism Policy Objectives

The Policy’s primary strategic goals are:

To make India a year-round travel destination and to increase visitors, spending, and time spent there in order to boost the contribution of tourism to the Indian economy.
To create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities in the tourism sector and ensure the supply of a skilled labour pool.
To make the tourist industry more competitive and draw in private sector investment.
To preserve and enhance the nation’s natural and cultural resources.
To ensure the nation’s tourist industry develops in a sustainable, ethical, and inclusive manner.

National Tourism Policy Guiding Principles

In this section, we talk about the guiding principles behind the draft policy for tourism.

The policy aims to promote sustainable tourism by minimizing the negative impact of tourism on social, environmental and economic aspects and maximizing the positive impact.
The policy further advocates responsible tourism to bring all stakeholders together to take responsibility for achieving sustainable tourism, and to create better places for people to live in and for people to visit.
In order to ensure inclusive growth, creating opportunities for marginalized sections of society including people living in remote areas will be a priority.
Green tourism catalyzes action for the promotion of sustainable tourism, which takes full account of current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.
The Policy aims to use technology for several initiatives under the policy and aims to help the tourism industry make the most of the opportunities presented by the digital economy.
The Policy follows a ‘whole of government’ approach to address the major and multifaceted challenges faced by the tourism industry and to develop the tourism sector in the country.
The Policy is guided by the principle that growth in the tourism sector has to be led by the Private Sector and the public sector has to play an enabling and facilitating role.
It aims to grant ‘Infrastructure Status’ to Tourism and Hospitality projects.
It also aims at supporting tourism-related MSMEs in digitisation, formalisation of MSMEs, adopting sustainable practices, etc.
Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat will be a central idea under the Policy to enhance interaction and promote mutual understanding between people of different States/UTs to promote a sustained and structured cultural connection in tourism and related areas of culture, traditions & music, cuisine, sports and sharing of best practices, etc.
Know more about Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat in the linked article.
The Policy aims at enhancing the tourist experience throughout his/her journey from arrival to return and it will be a key element of planning for tourism development under the Policy.

Significance of Tourism:

Tourism has emerged as a key driver of economic growth across the world.
It is one of the economic sectors with the strongest growth, it has a big influence on commerce, employment, investment, building infrastructure, and social inclusion.
Tourism is a labour-intensive sector and has a significant multiplier effect on employment in related sectors.
Tourism is important in social inclusion since it employs more women and youth than most the other sectors.
Tourism can generate resources for the conservation of cultural and natural heritage and has huge potential to make a positive contribution to sustainable development goals .

Conclusion:

National Tourism Policy [UPSC Notes]:- Download PDF Here

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Tourism Sector in India – Explained, pointwise

1 Introduction
2 What is the current status of Tourism Sector in India?
3 What are the driving factors of Tourism Sector in India?
4 What are the challenges faced by the Tourism Sector in India?
5 What steps have been taken for the development of Tourism Sector in India?
6 What more steps can be taken going ahead?
7 Conclusion

Introduction

A three-day National Conference of Tourism Ministers of States was held for the first time in Dharmsala (Himachal Pradesh) recently. The purpose of the Conference was to discuss, debate, and deliberate on modes and mechanisms to develop tourism sector in India. The meeting came up with ‘ Dharamshala Declaration ‘. The Dharamshala Declaration aims to recognise India’s role in contributing towards global tourism as well as focus on recovery by also promoting domestic tourism, which has been overlooked for long. India is a vast country with huge geographical, climatic, landscape, wildlife, heritage and cultural diversity. As such India has huge tourism potential. Yet this potential has remained under-utilized. In this context, the Ministry of Tourism has undertaken several initiatives to boost tourism in India.

What is the current status of Tourism Sector in India?

Before the onset of the pandemic, the contribution of tourism sector to India’s GDP had reached ~US$ 250 billion in 2018. However, the contribution had fallen to US$ 122 billion in 2020 due to pandemic. The share of Tourism to GDP has hovered around ~5-6%. With post-pandemic recovery, the tourism industry is expected to reach US$ 512 billion by 2028.

Tourism Sector in India contribution UPSC

Source: IBEF

Tourism Sector is the third-largest foreign exchange earner for the country in 2019. The foreign exchange earnings between 2016 and 2019 increased at a CAGR of 7%, but dipped in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 2028, Indian tourism and hospitality is expected to earn US$ 50.9 billion as visitor exports compared with US$ 28.9 billion in 2018. Foreign Tourist arrivals had reached 10.9 million in 2019, before falling to 2.7 million in 2020 due to the pandemic.

India was ranked 34th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 published by the World Economic Forum. The Economic Impact 2019 Report published by the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC) has noted that between 2014-19, India witnessed the strongest growth in the number of jobs created (6.36 million), followed by China (5.47 million) and the Philippines (2.53 million).

In 2020, the Indian tourism sector accounted for 39 million jobs, which was 8% of the total employment in the country. By 2029, it is expected to account for about 53 million jobs. Tourism sector provides diverse opportunities for jobs like in hospitality/hotels/accommodation, transportation, tour guides, travel operations etc.

Source: IBEF. Components of Tourism Sector

What are the driving factors of Tourism Sector in India?

The Tourism Sector in India is driven by various factors like diverse attractions, robust demand (like for medical tourism) and attractive opportunities.

In addition to the above, rapidly expanding India economy is providing huge opportunities for business tourism. According to the World Bank, India has overtaken Japan to become the world‟s third largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP). India holds a 6.4% share of global GDP on a PPP basis. Because of the economic growth, foreign players are interested to establish their operational facilities in the country. Domestic investors have also made huge investments to expand their business. Tourism industry gets benefited from the growing economic environment and investment made by both domestic and foreign investors. The country‟s growing economic environment acts as one of the major influential driver for tourism growth and development of the country.

What are the challenges faced by the Tourism Sector in India?

Awareness : Despite promotional campaigns by the Government, the awareness regarding India as a tourist destination remains low. Even among domestic tourists, the choice is limited to few popular destinations which remain overcrowded, while many other potential places receive low footfalls of tourists. The information portals and centres are poorly managed. There is lack of promotional campaigns in foreign countries. The absence of online branding campaigns fail to provide information to attract tourists.

Infrastructure and Safety : Many popular destinations lack air connectivity, especially in the hilly regions. Moreover, there is lack of proper hygienic facilities in may places. Lack of cleanliness is off-putting to many tourists. In addition there are safety concerns especially among foreign visitors because of few cases of harassment. Poor experience of some tourists leads to bad word-of-mouth information impacting perception of potential tourists.

Communication : Many tourists face communication problem while in India. This makes them dependent on tourist guides or travel operators to curate their travel in India.

Lack of Skilled Manpower : There is dearth of skilled manpower especially multi-lingual tour guides or hotel staff. The sector is dominated by small unorganized players who can’t spend on skilling their employees or sensitising them to cultural values of the foreign tourists. This impacts tourist experience.

Visa Process : The Government had started the e-visa process (online) which has led to increase in foreign tourists. However, the visa-on-arrival facility is limited to very few countries, limiting foreign tourists.

Currency Fluctuations : Another issue is the fluctuations in the currency exchange rates. The inability to know the value of a currency means that long-range tourism prices are especially hard to predict and the fallout from this monetary instability is already impacting multiple tourism support systems.

Although the coronavirus crisis has short-term destructive effects on the tourism industry, it is challenging the practices of the tourism industry and is drawing attention to a succession of issues like poor risk management in the travel industry, viral globalization, and travel of diseases with tourists to cross borders.

What steps have been taken for the development of Tourism Sector in India?

Infrastructure : The Government has been increasing investments in strengthening of the country’s road and rail networks and promoting port development is a significant driver for the growth of the Tourism sector. The Adarsh Station Scheme is helping modernize railway stations, while the Regional Connectivity Scheme – UDAN ( Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik ), is helping make air travel more economical and widespread to hitherto unserved routes. The Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes aim to stimulate growth in niche tourism segments such as religious, heritage, wellness, medical, adventure, MICE, wildlife etc. Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Government has launched several theme based circuits like Buddhist circuit which covers destinations associated with the life of Lord Buddha.

Promotional Campaign : Promotional activities such as the Incredible India 2.0 campaign focuses on niche tourism products including yoga, wellness, luxury, cuisine wildlife among others. “ Find the Incredible You ” Campaign focuses on the promotion of niche tourism products of the Country on digital and social media.

Information Helpline : The government has introduced the concept of e-tourist and e-medical visas which has helped increase inbound tourists to the country. Additional initiatives such as Atithi Devo Bhava , a 24×7 multi-lingual Tourist Helpline, among others have helped improve the safety and security of tourists. On a pilot basis, an ‘ Incredible India Helpline ’ has been set up to guide the tourists.

Safety : The Ministry of Tourism has adopted a code of conduct for safe tourism, which contains a set of guidelines to encourage tourism activities to be undertaken with respect to basic rights like dignity, and safety of both tourists and local residents, in particular women and children.

Investment : The government allows 100% Foreign Direct Investment in the Travel and Tourism sector through the automatic route to increase investments across the sector. More recently, the GST rate cut on hotel room tariffs across the board has been a positive move for the industry and is expected to boost the sector’s competitiveness globally.

Cleanliness and Hygiene : Major cleanliness campaign has been launched under the Swachh Bharat movement for protecting and preserving the sanctity of monuments of national heritage . The Ministry of Tourism has also launched awareness campaign to ensure cleanliness of surroundings and help create a Swachh Bharat, Swachh Smarak .

Assistance to States : Financial assistance to states, including places of religious importance, for various tourism projects in consultation with them subject to availability of funds, inter-se priority, liquidation of pending utilisation certificates and adherence to the scheme guidelines.

Digital Database : In September 2021, the Government launched NIDHI 2.0 (National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry), a scheme which will maintain a hospitality database comprising accommodation units, travel agents, tour operators and others. NIDHI 2.0 will facilitate digitalisation of the tourism sector by encouraging hotels to register themselves on the platform.

Skilling : The Ministry of Tourism has introduced the Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) and Incredible India Tourist Guide (IITG) Certification Programme to create an online learning platform of well-trained tourist facilitators and guides across the country.

The Ministry of Tourism had launched an initiative called SAATHI (System for Assessment, Awareness & Training for Hospitality Industry) by partnering with the Quality Council of India (QCI) in October 2020. The initiative was focused on effective implementation of guidelines/SOPs issued with reference to COVID-19 for safe operations of hotels, restaurants, and other units.

What more steps can be taken going ahead?

First , The government should continue to promote India’s diversity and rich heritage to re-establish its position as a tourist paradise. The promotional campaigns should target both domestic and foreign tourists. Similarly, the extent of theme-based tourist circuits can be expanded.

Second , the skilling initiatives should be scaled-up . Tourism sector has a potential to provide lot of livelihood opportunities in smaller cities/towns (below tier-2 level). It can help address the issue of jobless growth.

Third , there is need to balance the promotion of tourism with safeguarding the physical, social, and cultural environment in the destination areas. The government should also promote green and sustainable tourism to tackle issues relating to water crisis, pollution, waste management, etc.

Fourth , the Government should further reform the tourist visa norms and processes to facilitate tourism. The Government should also explore the possibility of expanding the visa-on-arrival facility.

Fifth , the focus should also be on supporting and promoting the emerging segments of tourism.

Source: IBEF. Emerging Segments of Tourism.

The tourism sector in India is gradually recovering from the impact of the pandemic. Even during the pandemic, the sector had shown resilience by adapting its operations to ensure safe practices and social distancing. The sector has huge untapped potential in India. The multiplier effect associated with the tourism sector can help raise the income levels and ensure inclusive growth. A burgeoning tourism industry can prove to be vital in ensuring India’s transition to a high income economy.

Syllabus : GS III, Indian Economy and issues related to growth.

Source : The Hindu , Hindustan Times , IBEF

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Recently ,The National Conference of State Tourism Ministers ended with the adoption of the “Dharamshala Declaration” which affirms commitment toward developing “sustainable and responsible tourism” and positions India as a “global leader in the tourism sector by 2047”.

Potential of Tourism Sector In India

Tourism and Hospitality sector is one of the largest employment g enerating sectors in India and has been contributing towards generating a major chunk of Foreign Exchange Earning (FEE).
India is an experiential destination with its kaleidoscope of ancient culture and heritage, ancient systems of healing like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Naturopathy , natural beauty including 70% of the Himalayas and over 7500 km long coastline, rich flora and fauna, world class medical facilities a nd many other aspects make India the favoured destination for the discerning traveller.
The percentage of Foreign Tourist Arrivals visiting India for Medical Treatment has been increasing over the years and growing rapidly.
Over the past few months, all the major tourism indices such as domestic air passenger traffic, hotel occupancy and tourist footfalls have shown signs of recovery and are going back to pre-pandemic levels.
By 2030, India is estimated to grow at 7%-9% compounded annual growth rate and we expect the enabling policy framework to bring in $250 billion in GDP contribution from tourism, 140 million jobs in the tourism sector and $56 billion in foreign exchange earnings with more than 25 million foreign arrivals.

Challenges

Lack of Infrastructure – It is a major challenge for the Indian tourism sector. This includes hotels, connectivity with other cities, health facilities, and transportation etc.
Attacks on foreign tourists, especially on women tourists have raised this question.
COVID-19 pandemic: The Indian tourism and hospitality sector were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and saw substantial job loss.
Business Hurdles, Lack of Hygiene and Comfortable accommodation
Lack of integrated tourism promotion

Governments Initiatives

Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme: The Government of India’s Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme was recently enhanced by ?50,000 crore, from ?4.5 lakh crore to ?5 lakh crore to benefit enterprises in hospitality and related sectors such as hotels and restaurants, marriage halls, travel agents, tour operators, adventure and heritage facilities.
The guiding principles include promoting sustainable, responsible and inclusive tourism in line with our civilisational ethos.
The policy also aims to give impetus to digitalisation, innovation and technology through the National Digital Tourism Mission and skilling through the Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Mission
Theme based schemes for the integrated development of circuits for improvement of infrastructure in the country have been launched by the Ministry of Tourism to enable tourists to experience the destination fully.
The Ministry has also been working with the Ministry of External Affairs to identify 20 Indian missions abroad with the highest tourist footfalls to India and build country-specific strategies to attract foreign tourists.
Central Sector Scheme
Aim: Integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits in the country.
Focus on identifying and developing pilgrim sites across the country to promote religious tourism.
Organises webinars, quiz, pledge, discussions to keep people connected with the stakeholders and to encourage citizens to travel within the country.
It envisages the development and maintenance of tourist amenities at heritage sites and making them tourist-friendly.
The event highlights various potentials like eco-tourism, culture, heritage and business of the North East Region.
Gati Shakti Master Plan: It is a project for developing ‘holistic infrastructure’.
It will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.

What Lies Ahead ?

Tourism creates jobs and provides jobs in the tertiary sector. It is now high time for us to work for the betterment of this sector so that from the upcoming years the number of foreign tourists may increase, and more people will be able to know about our culture.
The Startup India initiative has boosted entrepreneurship. However, the travel and tourism startups need a bigger push. Innovative startups should be encouraged. Support from the government for ideation and access to finance are required.
The growth in this sector has multiplier effects on income generation as it is employment-intensive with less capital investment
There is a need to highlight the significance of public-private partnership to improve infrastructure and tackle the problem of end connectivity, which negatively affects the experiences of international travellers.
India’s age-old dictum of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ will come to the fore as it welcomes delegates from the 20 countries/European Union.

Why in News?

On the National Tourism Day (January 25), the Ministry of Railways in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, is launching its Jagannath Yatra train package.
Linked to t heme-based tourist circuit trains , the initiative is Government of India’s one among many to showcase India’s rich heritage using a ‘ whole of government’ approach and promote tourism.

What is the status of Tourism sector in India?

In the past 75 years, India has become synonymous with tourism, spirituality, transformation, culture and diversity.
The Tourism sector generated Rs 16.91 lakh crore (USD 240 billion) or 9.2% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018 and has supported around 42.67 million jobs or 8.1% of total employment.
India is estimated to contribute 250 Bn $ GDP from Tourism, 137 mn jobs in the Tourism sector, 56 bn $ in Foreign Exchange Earnings and 25 mn foreign arrivals are expected to be achieved by 2030 .
Improving the connectivity - air, rail, and roads.
Enhancing the tourism infrastructure and dependent services.
Streamlining branding and promotion.
Showcasing the culture and heritage.
Various tourist circuits are being promoted and a new ‘ Ambedkar Circuit’ and ‘ Himalayan Circuit’ will also be promoted under the action plan for development of tourist circuits.
A number of projects have been sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme for building tourist infrastructure across various themes.
The Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive ( PRASHAD) Scheme aims to strengthen the tourist facilities around spiritual locations, under which 39 projects have been sanctioned in 24 States.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, the financial assistance to the tourism sector, which is the biggest sufferer due to Covid 19, continues to be extended upto 31st March, 2023.

What are the efforts of the Ministry of Tourism to promote tourism in India?

The promotion of India’s tourism will only be effective when different Ministries at the Union level and States work in cohesion by combining their domain expertise.
As a result, the Ministry of Tourism has prioritised the task of inter-ministerial cooperation and coordination
Today, the Ministry of Tourism coordinates its work effectively with over 20 central government Ministries in the promotion and the development of tourism in the country.
For example , the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Home Affairs organised the National Conference on Tourist Police (to develop tourist specific policing) in 2022.
In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Tourism Ministry has begun establishing ‘ Yuva Tourism ’ clubs to nurture young ambassadors of Indian tourism.
In another instance, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is aiming to make India an attractive cruise tourism destination using state-of-the-art infrastructure.
In partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, tourism officers have been placed in 20 Indian missions in countries that contribute to some of the highest foreign tourist arrivals in India.
Similarly, with the Ministry of Roadways and the Petroleum Ministry, steps are being taken to ensure that highways and fuel stations have clean sanitation infrastructure .
The Ministry of Tourism is also funding several commercial flight routes in partnership with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, making them viable.
However, it is not enough if there is a pledge to work together. This needs to be formalised through structures and institutions.

Formalising Structures and Institutions to Promote Tourism:

The policy has been formulated after situational analysis including the impact of COVID-19 and taking into account future projections for the tourism sector with a vision for India@100 .
One of the ideas includes an institutional structure that can take concurrent and coordinated action across the Union, State and local government levels in partnership with industry.
It is this ‘ whole of government’ approach that has equipped India with the ability to host the G-20 presidency.
Every delegate or visitor who is in India to attend the G-20 summit will return as a brand ambassador and spread the word on India’s rich cultural, spiritual and natural heritage.
The Ministry of Tourism’s declaration of “Visit India Year 2023” aims to promote various tourism products and destinations to increase India’s share in the global tourism market.
Data show that domestic tourism (a record 1.84 crore domestic tourists visited J&K in 2022) has recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
Similarly, foreign tourist arrivals are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels.
India has always been a popular destination for travellers exploring spiritual enlightenment and self-discovery.
For centuries many great foreign travellers have visited India and shared their experiences in the form of memoirs, travelogues, poetry and books, as Megasthenes, Hiuen-Tsang, Marco Polo, and Fa-Hien have shown.
As the birthplace to four major world religions, i.e., Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism, India can truly claim to be the world’s spiritual beacon .
It is at the core of the Government of India’s initiatives to promote tourism. Therefore, it is important for all stakeholders involved to work together to swiftly implement and sustain these efforts.

Q1) How many circuits are there in Swadesh Darshan Scheme?

Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 15 themes have been identified for developing theme based circuits. These themes include Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, North-East Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, Tribal Circuit and Wildlife Circuit.

Q2) Why is the National Tourism Day celebrated?

To celebrate the diversity of our country, NATIONAL TOURISM DAY is celebrated on 25th January every year. This day is marked with a motive to appreciate our country’s beauty and spread awareness of the importance of tourism and its impact on the Indian economy.

Source: Working hand in hand to showcase India

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Tourism Sector

Last updated on October 3, 2023 by ClearIAS Team

What is India’s Tourism sector offering? What are its significance and challenges? Are there any government initiatives? To answer these questions, read further.

India as a nation offers diversity within its unity, not only in terms of its tribes, cultures , faiths, and ways of life but also in terms of its tourism potential.

India has a lot to offer in terms of historical monuments, geographical diversity, climate variances, and the wonders of nature.

The tourism sector contributes around 9% of the country’s GDP . It has its share in employment, revenue, and forex reserves.

India’s third-largest source of foreign exchange is the tourism and hotel industry.

India’s tourism industry is a significant economic multiplier and is getting more crucial as the nation aims for rapid economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities.

Table of Contents

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Importance of the Tourism Sector

It recognizes India’s historical and cultural sites, enabling greater protection and preservation.
Tourism has the potential to be a vehicle for regional development due to the significant amount of money that traveling tourists bring in.
It brings social equality as it moves areas with an absence of growth-promoting industries toward more inclusive, equitable growth.
It raises awareness of the region on a global scale and draws attention to its underlying socio-economic issues.
It pushes the service industry. With the expansion of the tourism industry, there are an increasing number of companies that will be benefitted from the service sector.
A growing tourism industry is a driving force behind development, necessitating adequate infrastructure. Example: The mobile tourism caravans in Uttarakhand.
The railroad, aviation , and real estate sectors are also supported.
Tourism also provides an opportunity for foreign hotel and tourism groups to establish themselves in India. The influx of tourists benefits small companies in tourist areas.
It creates jobs for tour operators and the hospitality industry.
It develops a connection with other nations regarding India’s attraction and contributes to India’s soft power.
It aids in the search for funds on a global scale for the protection and repair of the monuments and the area.
It enables India to promote its biodiversity and important animals, such as tigers, red pandas, and wild asses.
It can also aid in drawing attention to Indian wildlife issues on a worldwide scale and aid in the effort to raise money.

Challenges of the Tourism Sector

Because the tourism industry depends on certain seasons, many regions do not make any revenue for the rest of the year, which slows growth rates.
Exchange rate volatility might result in a weak rupee and lower-than-expected foreign exchange reserves.
The lack of acceptance of international credit cards in many locations hurts tourism.
India is an expensive destination for many tourists due to the high taxes on travel and tourism.
There aren’t enough skilled professionals, tour operators, or guides who speak English.
Many places lack the most basic conveniences, such as tourist-friendly restrooms and urinals.
Landslides and cloudbursts frequently occur in the Himalayas and the North East, claiming the lives of numerous travelers in the past. For example, the 2013 Kedarnath Cloud Burst.
Wildlife tourism puts more strain on already-vulnerable species and increases the risk of forest fires.
Indiscriminate garbage dumping and landmark degradation by tourists harm the environment and contaminate water sources.
Visa requirements, inner line permissions, and other paperwork increase traveler delays.
Fewer states have a higher concentration of tourists, although numerous attractions in northern India’s interior need more promotion.
Despite its excellent rankings, India ranks 34th overall for tourist competitiveness, which indicates that the country has not successfully monetized or marketed the industry.

Government Initiatives

Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme , the Ministry of Tourism assists State Governments in developing the infrastructure for 13 theme-based circuits that have been designated.

A recent budget allocation of Rs. 1,200 crores (US$ 171.70 million) was given for the creation of tourist circuits for eight Northeastern states as part of Swadesh Darshan.

The Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes are designed to promote expansion in specialized tourism markets such as wildlife, adventure, wellness, and religious travel.

The Swachh Bharat movement has started a significant cleaning campaign to safeguard and maintain the sacredness of national historic monuments.

All India Permit Rules 2021: Under the All India Permit Rules 2021, a tourist vehicle operator may apply online for an All India Tourist Authorization/Permit.

Dekho Apna Desh: On November 28, 2020, a webinar series entitled “12 Months of Adventure Travel” is projected to market India as an adventure tourism destination.

Way Forward

Building new roads, railroads, and tourist attractions in interior regions that do not have them is necessary. It will lead to infrastructure development in these areas.

Encourage private sector involvement in the construction of tourist amenities in interior and less traveled locations.

To handle concerns and upcoming initiatives related to tourism, the government can establish a National Tourism Authority & Advisory Council.

Tourism with a specific theme should be promoted, including medical tourism, Buddhist circuits, organic tourism, and historical circuits.

It is important to strike a balance between promoting tourism and preserving the natural, social, and cultural environments in the destinations. To address concerns with the water crisis, pollution, waste management , and other related challenges, the government should also promote eco-friendly and sustainable tourism.

Making use of social media to promote Indian tourist destinations online to both domestic and international visitors.

Rationalizing inner line permits and extending visas on arrival and visa regulations to other countries to provide access for foreigners from other nations.

Emphasize underserved areas to tap the vast potential of the region. For example, North Eastern region.

Greater coordination at the state and local levels will help India’s rural tourism industry grow and generate more revenue for the area.

To genuinely guarantee a seamless tourist transportation experience, all interstate road taxes must be standardized.

In India, the industry has enormous unrealized potential. The tourism sector’s multiplier impact can help increase income levels and ensure inclusive growth. To ensure India’s transition to a high-income economy, a booming tourism industry may prove to be crucial. It is necessary to redesign the entire industry and strengthen its resistance to future shocks. Growth must be encouraged, however, sustainable growth that adheres to environmental standards is also vital.

Riverine-Based Religious Tourism Circuit
Buddhist Tourism Circuit
Cultural Tourism in India

Article written by Chetna Yadav.

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[Burning Issue] Tourism Sector of India

The three-day National Conference of State Tourism Minister was held at Dharamshala last year, a first-of-its-kind meeting aimed to discuss, debate and deliberate on modes and mechanisms to develop tourism in India.
The three-day National Conference concluded with the adoption of the “Dharamshala Declaration” which affirms commitment toward developing “sustainable and responsible tourism” and positions India as a “global leader in the tourism sector by 2047”.
In this context, this edition of Burning issue will elaborate on the tourism sector of India.

What is tourism?

Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours.

Types of tourism

Domestic tourism : Refers to activities of a visitor within their country of residence and outside of their home (e.g. Indian visiting other parts of India)
Inbound tourism : Refers to the activities of a visitor from outside of the country of residence (e.g. a Spaniard visiting Britain).
Outbound tourism : Refers to the activities of a resident visitor outside of their country of residence (e.g. an Indian visiting an overseas country).

What is the importance of tourism?

Boosts economies : Tourism boosts the revenue of the economy, creates thousands of jobs, develops the infrastructures of a country, and plants a sense of cultural exchange between foreigners and citizens.
Satisfy human exploration urge : Tourism is a compulsion driven by the urge to discover new places. Because we have this compulsion to venture into the unknown, we need each other. When humans travel, meet and exchange ideas, civilization flourishes.
A major economic sector : the business volume of tourism equals or even surpasses that of oil exports, ‎food products or automobiles. Tourism has become one of the major players in ‎international commerce and represents at the same time one of the main income ‎sources for many developing countries.

Global tourism industry

The Travel and Tourism (T&T) industry directly contributes about 3.6% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and, indirectly contributes about 10.3% to it.
As one of the biggest contributors to the global GDP, this industry directly employs nearly 77 million people worldwide, which comprises about 3% of the world’s total employment.
The industry also represents about 12% of the total world exports .
Continuing world prosperity, growing recognition of tourism’s contribution to employment and economic growth, availability of better infrastructure, focused marketing and promotion efforts, liberalization of air transport, growing intraregional cooperation, and a growing number of Public-Private-Partnerships (PPPs) are seen as the key drivers for tourism in the next decade.

Indian tourism industry

The travel and tourism industry contributed a total of $124.8 billion to the GDP in India in 2015 — this accounted for approximately 10% of India’s total GDP in 2020.
A 2014 study found that India was one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations worldwide. Placed eleventh on the list, the direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in India was expected to grow an average of 6.4% annually between 2014 and 2024.
The sector is expected to grow at an annual average growth rate of 7.9% till 2023, making India the third fastest-growing tourism destination over the next decade.
Tourism in India provides 40 million jobs . The industry provided more than 23.5 million jobs in 2015. Over 7.7% of Indian employees work in the tourism industry.
The largest source market for visitors to India was the US, followed by Bangladesh and the UK. Outbound travel from India is also forecasted to reach 1.41 million in 2020.
According to an official release of PIB, Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in March 2022 were 3,42,308 with a positive growth rate of 117.9% as compared to 1,23,179 in march 2021, indicating the post-pandemic revival of the tourism sector.
The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021, ranks India 54th out of 117 countries overall.

Prospects of Indian Tourism

High diversity: India has a gift with the most prominent diversity in culture . In Addition, geography and art pull in a colossal measure of voyagers to the nation. Different new forms of tourism are offering in recent years are also helping to build up the country’s tourism industry.
Multiple tourism types available: Medical tourism, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, and cruise tourism have gained tremendous popularity and attention among foreigners . Now and have the potential for high growth shortly. The Himalayas are the greatest assets of India in adventure tourism.
Huge domestic tourist market : Many people from all over the country are attracted to India because of its scenic beauty which spreads from Kashmir in the North to Kanyakumari in the South and Arunachal Pradesh in the East to Gujrat in the West, and multiculturalism.
New tourism sectors opening : In India, the tourism industry is diversifying away from traditional sightseeing tours oriented (primarily places of cultural tourism interest) to a more rapidly expanding market based on the country’s atmosphere and environment, emphasizing the aesthetic, environmental, and socio-cultural implications of projects.

What is the Importance of Tourism in India?

Economic progress: The tourism industry aids and supports foreign exchange reserves. It helps our country in generating foreign exchange. Every year a large number of tourists visit India and other places. Places they go to; Stay and shop in our country. All this contributes to a significant amount of foreign exchange. Despite the global recession, Indian tourism grew by 9% in 2015 to $42 billion.
Source of Income: Tourism is a continuous source of income for public and private income. It led to employment, especially in the hotel industry, hospitality industry, service sector, entertainment, and transportation industry. Even a seller of local commodities like artefacts, handicraft items etc. earns due to tourism.
Development of Infrastructure: Have you ever noticed how the look and feel of a place change when it is declared a tourist destination? Indeed, tourism aids and encourages infrastructure development by making way for dams, roads, connectivity, airport improvements, and any other activity that helps a tourist visit a place in a better way. The best example can be the development of Kevadia town in Gujarat due to the statue of unity.
Social Progress: Tourism is an excellent way for cultural exchange. It also encourages social progress as tourists learn to show respect, tolerance, and love for each other when visiting new places.
Cultural Heritage: Tourism helps to articulate the beauty, art, history, and culture of our country. Different people who come to any country take beautiful cultural concepts with them and spread those concepts to other people by going to other places.
Puts India on the map globally: In terms of variety, India has a lot to offer global travelers. With the country’s landscape spreading across six major climatic subtypes, tourists can take their pick from among the snow-clad mountains in the north, the vast expanses of coastlines in the south, the arid deserts in the western regions, and the rich ecosystems in the east. Developing this sector of the economy can thus put India on the map globally since the country has a lot to offer.

Challenges of the Indian tourism sector

Lack of Proper infrastructure: An established framework of the foundation includes lots of elements. Proper transportation facilities, health facilities, and stability. Also, uninterrupted connectivity and other human resources are mandatory for enduring tourism.
Inaccessibility : There are many tourist destinations in the country, which are not accessible to the poor, women and elderly because of the high cost of transportation, poor connectivity with cities, and tourist-friendly infrastructure. Around 2% of the tourist cannot access many of the tourist spots in the country.
Human Resources & Planning: Highly skilful and potential men or women hold an inevitable part of the tourism sector. So currently, there is a lack of workforce in both the hospitality and tourism sectors.
Insufficient Digital Promotion and Marketing: Grand promotion and suitable digital marketing push are excessively indispensable for a nation’s travel industry improvement. The Digital marketing of the Indian Tourism industry is not to the point yet.
Taxation issues with Indian Tourism: there are high taxes on the entire production for the airline facilities, hotels, and tour operators. Those are highly expensive. That is the most significant reason for losses to other less expensive countries when it comes to tourism.
Security issues: Security is one of the Major Challenges of Indian Tourism. There is an increasing rate of Sexual Abuse of women, Theft, and Credit Card Fraud with foreign tourists. Also, Public Violence is affecting Indian Tourism to a high intent.

What needs to be done? Way forward

National Tourism Authority : A separate National Tourism Authority (NTA) should be established for executing and operationalizing various tourism-related initiatives. Simple, flexible and elegant processes will be laid down to allow for nimbleness.
National Tourism Advisory Board : A National Tourism Advisory Board (NTAB) should be set up to provide overall vision, guidance and direction to the Development of the Tourism Sector in the country.
Creating Synergy in Tourism Eco System : In order to ensure synergy at various levels of Government and with the Private Sector, it is important to have a well-defined framework in place.
Quality Tourism Framework : A robust framework for quality certification of products and services across all segments like accommodation providers, tour operators, adventure tour operators, and service providers like spa and wellness, guides, restaurants etc. should be laid down.
Enhancing the existing luxury tourism products: The existing tourism products such as Nilgiri Mountain Railway, Palace on Wheels etc. should be enhanced and their numbers will also be increased. Haulage charges will be rationalized to make luxury trains viable.
Railways can be a game changer: For tourism, Railways have a presence in most parts of the country. Most of the tourist destinations in the country are connected by rail. Indian Railways is working towards promoting tourism in the country by operating more trains connecting tourists’ destinations and also by providing an array of products starting from luxury tourist trains to budget catering tourist trains
Prioritize the most popular tourist destinations : Instead of spreading limited resources over a significant number of circuits or centres, develop selected tourist circuits and centres that are popular among tourists.

Steps taken by Government in this regard

Swadesh Darshan Scheme The Swadesh Darshan scheme, a flagship programme, was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in 2014–15. The scheme aims to encourage theme-based tourism to promote, develop, and capitalise on India’s tourist potential. The ministry developed tourism-related infrastructure at more than 500 tourist destinations. In April 2022, the ministry sanctioned 10 new projects under the heritage circuit theme.
National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI) : NIDHI is an initiative towards Aatma nirbhar Bharat to use technology to empower businesses. This programme aims to understand the hospitality sector’s geographical spread, size, structure and capacity. As of 27 August 2022, a total of 45,152 accommodations were registered under this portal.
E-tourist Visa : The Indian Government launched this initiative in October 2014. This programme aims to simplify the process of obtaining a tourist visa for foreign nationals. This initiative has helped promote tourism in the country. In 2019, the government granted 2.36 million e-tourist visas.
Advertising Campaigns : The Indian Government has promoted tourism and showcased the country’s rich cultural heritage to the world through its ‘Incredible India’ campaign . The campaign aims to promote tourism in India on an international scale. In recent months, the government has taken various initiatives to promote tourism. For instance, it launched the Italy edition of Incredible India Reconnect 2022, a virtual roadshow, to encourage international tourists to visit India.
Organising International Buddhist Conclave : once in 2 years to showcase the Buddhist Heritage and International Tourism Mart for showcasing the tourism potential of North East held every year.
The National Mission for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme , was also launched by the Ministry for the development and beautification of pilgrimage sites to tap the growth of domestic tourists driven by spiritual/religious sentiments. The scheme seeks to augment tourism infrastructure at places of pilgrimage to provide better facilities to pilgrims/tourists and enhance their experience.
Multilingual Tourist Helpline: The Ministry of Tourism launched the 24×7 Toll-Free Multi-Lingual Tourist Helpline in 12 languages on February 8, 2016.
Adarsh Smarak: ASI has identified 100 monuments to be developed as Model Monuments. These monuments would be provided with necessary tourist facilities including Wi-Fi, security, signage, encroachment-free area, and interpretation centres showing short films about the importance of monuments and signboards of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
The Dharamshala Declaration : aims to recognise India’s potential in supporting global tourism and also promote domestic tourism
Tourist police scheme : The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has brought out a booklet on the tourist police scheme detailing the mode of setting up of tourist police stations and control rooms, outposts, uniforms, recruitment, qualifications, training and logistics requirements for tourist police stations.

MICE tourism model of Gujarat

The acronym “MICE” stands for “Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions”, and is essentially a version of business tourism that draws domestic and international tourists to a destination.
The policy aims to make Gujarat one of the top five MICE tourism destinations in the country.
If the goal of the positioning India as one of the world’s best tourism destinations by 2047, there is a need to integrate various schemes of different ministries. Need to involve various stakeholders, and local communities; necessary interventions at an urban and rural level should be a priority.

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India’s tourism sector witnessed mega growth in 2022.

Gaurav Gupta

Gaurav Gupta, Founder & CEO, Tripclap.com.

Post Independence, India has evolved as a tourism hotspot for multiple reasons. From being a bridgehead for commerce and trade, to being a showstopper because of its captivating scenic spots and sightseeing areas, the idea of travel has changed drastically over the years.Owing to its extensive attractions and rich heritage, the country has always been one of the most rewarding and multicultural melting pot for any explorer. Tourists from different countries have been visiting India to witness its traditions and incredible cultural heritage, which are the factors that laid the foundation of the Indian tourism sector contributing about five per cent to GDP.

The Covid-19 Pandemic has made everyone yearn for travelling and exploring new places. With international borders not opening up completely, and parts of the world battling the virus, India appears to have unplugged a plethora of opportunities for travellers and wanderers across genres. The rise of millennials and GenZ as an all new breed of tourer, has redefined the term ‘tourism’. Over the past two years of pandemic, a couple of buzzwords such as staycations and workations have emerged as the trending guiding principles for these groups of travellers. Youths nowadays are eager to safely explore nature, and they are thriving to get access to high-quality infrastructure and a lively, welcoming environment without having to break the bank. The hybrid work model has evolved into a ‘work from anywhere’ solution, hence helping workations continue to rule the roost.

Travel destinations and accommodations are investing in women-centric tours as a result of the increased demand for solo female travel in India. Hostels are also aimed toward providing secure areas for women to dwell in a communal environment. This trend is poised for greater expansion in the upcoming year as more hostels and homestays provide particular accommodations for female travellers travelling alone. States all throughout India are advertising their unique places, which are providing adventurous travellers with fresh experiences. Generation Z and millennial travellers go to these uncharted regions and open doors for local communities’ development there.

The Indian Tourism Statistics 2022 report reveals India receiving 677.63 million domestic tourist visits in 2021. The percentage has increased by 11.05% from 610.22 in 2020. The top states in terms of domestic visits were Tamil Nadu at 115.33 million, Uttar Pradesh at 109.70 million, Andhra Pradesh at 93.27 million and Karnataka at 81.33 million. It’s interesting to note that the dynamics of travel around the world now appear entirely different from how they did before two extremely chaotic and passive years. 2021 saw the beginning of the recovery for the country’s tourism sector, with maximum countries contributing to Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) numbers in India. Total FTAs in India surged by 406.6% to 2,764,975 from January-July 2022 compared to the previous year. During this period, the US was the top contributor to FTAs in India, at 25.88%, followed by Bangladesh (18.61%), the UK (10.99%) and Australia (5.16%); the US was among the top 15 source nations.The survey discovers that wanderlust abounds with a strong desire to seize the experiences that travel offers in the post-Covid climate. Taj Mahal became the most-visited ticketed ASI Site for Domestic tourists in FY 21-23, followed by the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar, which received the second and third most visitors. The sharp rise in FTAs is a result of many driving forces that include the COVID-19 Vaccination campaign, the ‘Heal in India’ and ‘Heal by India’ campaigns announced by the Indian Government in May 2022, and several other infrastructural measures.

The country has also registered higher spending on leisure tourism compared to business spending tourism. With about 18% of Indians travelling for work within the nation, India is far ahead of its international rivals in this area. Owing to a resounding spike in booking during 2021-2022, the outlook of the Indian Tourism industry for the next decade looks bright and seems to expand exponentially. The tourism industry is raring to explore new frontiers and reinvent itself in order to keep up with the times.

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THE FRONT PAGE

Near kutch harappan graveyard, remains of a skeleton and the key to a puzzle.

Preliminary Examination: History of India

Mains Examination: GS-I: Art and Culture

• What’s the ongoing story- A human skeleton, degraded and in a flexed posture, found on the slope of a hillock in a Gujarat village could hold the key to a mystery that’s been puzzling a team of archeologists. In 2018, archeologists from the University of Kerala, working in collaboration with Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Varma Kachchh University, Bhuj, had unearthed a mass burial site with 500 graves on the outskirts of Khatiya village in Gujarat’s Kutch district. The question then was: whose graves are these? Was this the burial ground — arguably the largest such — for a big human settlement in the vicinity or was it a common facility for a cluster of smaller settlements? Since then, the team has been looking for the remains of settlements in the vicinity.

Now, the presence of the skeleton, along with pottery artefacts and animal bones, that the team of archaeologists excavated from a hillock, locally called Padta Bet, point to the presence of a 5,200-year-old Harappan settlement that was 1.5 km from the mass burial ground of Juna Khatiya, an Early Harappan necropolis. The latest find bolsters the theory that the graveyard site may have served as a common facility for a cluster of several such smaller settlements.

• Prerequisites:

What you must know?

— Phases of IVC- the Early Harappan Phase, the Mature Harappan Phase from and the Late Harappan Phase.

— Origin of the civilization, town planning, craft, economy, religion, decline of the civilization

— Major sites of Indus civilisation in Gujarat and other parts of India.

• Key Takeaways:

— Within the four-hectare area of Padta Bet, the researchers identified two localities where the archaeological deposits were found during excavation – Locality 2 with artefacts from the Early Harappan era (3,200 BC to 2,600 BC), Mature Harappan era (2600 BC to 1900 BC) and Late Harappan era (1900 BC to 1700 BC), and Locality 1 with artefacts dating back to Mature Harappan era and Late Harappan era.

— While the habitation site appears to have only a few structures, the researchers said it is possible that much of the structural remains were eroded due to the unstable nature of the landscape.

— Researchers said the pottery artefacts and the animal bones — representing cattle, sheep or goat and shell fragments that point to possible animal domestication as well as shellfish “exploitation” — are an indication of the occupation of the Harappan people. One of the most striking features of the excavation are the ceramic artefacts, which could be from one of the unidentified pottery traditions of the Harappans, involving large storage jars to small bowls and dishes, they said.

— The team also found semiprecious stone beads made of carnelian and agate, terracotta spindle whorls, copper, lithic tools, cores and debitage, grinding stones and hammer stones. Archaeobotanical samples too have been collected from the site for further identification of plant exploitation and to understand agricultural practices.

• Point to ponder:

— National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) is coming up in which Harappan site?

• Other Important Article Covering the same topic:

Who were the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation?

The mystery of the Indus script: Dravidian, Sanskrit or not a language at all?

Restricted by surrogacy laws, Indians are going abroad to become parents

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance.

Mains Examination: GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health

Mains Examination:

What’s the ongoing story- Eight years ago, a same-sex couple in Delhi had a daughter through surrogacy . But when they chose to have another child this year, hoping to complete the picture of an ideal family, the law had changed. They realised that they could not hire a local surrogate as before and had to find one from within their circle of family and friends. What’s more, the surrogate couldn’t be paid for her services. “Nobody, no matter how close, would agree to volunteerism of this magnitude. So we decided to find a surrogate in the US through a foreign agency,” the couple says.

— Recent amendments in surrogacy law in India, Rule 7

— Altruistic Surrogacy

— Commercial Surrogacy

— Gestational surrogacy

— Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)

— B1/B2 visa

• Key Takeaways

• Latest changes to the Surrogacy Regulation Act (2021)

— Married couples can now use donor eggs or sperms if they suffer from a medical condition necessitating the use of donor gamets.

— However these changes are not applicable to “single” women – widows or divorcees. The Act allows single women between the age of 35 to 45 years access to surrogacy, provided they use their own eggs.

• Who all cannot access surrogacy in India?

— Single persons, live-in couples, LGBTQ couples, couples older than 45 years.

• Why do most people choose the US as their surrogacy destination?

— Dr Priyanka Mathur, a cardiologist and co-founder of MediPocket, a digital medical tourism portal that connects intending parents with surrogacy partners in the US explains :

Surrogacy laws in the US are well defined for both the intending parents and the surrogate.
Healthy couples can get an embryo created with their eggs and sperm.
US allows gender selection.
The most important attraction is that the newborn child could be a US citizen. The last works for most Asian parents who hope that when their children pursue higher education in the US, they would be paying the same fees as local students and not what international students pay.

• What about citizenship status of the child?

• For Your Information:

— Home Ministry sources say, “The parents should get a birth certificate and an NOC from the surrogate mother. However, if the child has assumed foreign nationality, then they must apply for an Indian visa to go with the child’s foreign passport.”

• Points to ponder:

— Amendment to surrogacy rules is welcome. But legislation must be carefully crafted so as to not create hierarchies in contemporary family formations. Discuss.

On surrogacy, Indian law goes a step further — but not far enough

Donor gametes are allowed: What the new rule on surrogacy says

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

No free pass.

• What’s the ongoing story- Express View on Court’s warning to Ramdev: The Supreme Court’s strong admonition to Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved — the company the yoga guru has founded and is the face of — was much needed. Patanjali’s products have, for long, made deceptive claims and the company has faced few consequences for its irresponsible campaigns against the allopathic system.

• The Central Question: Why did the Supreme Court ban Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali from advertising its products and what is the messsage?

• Prerequisites

— Drugs & Other Magical Remedies Act, 1954 (DOMA), and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (CPA).

— Ministry of Ayush

— Unani, Ayurvedic, Homoeopathy, Yoga and Siddha systems

— Indian Medical Association (IMA)

• For Your Information

— The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it was not inclined to accept the apology tendered by Baba Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna in response to notices asking to show cause as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for allegedly flouting its directions. The apex court, however, gave them a last opportunity to file fresh responses.

— The court was upset about an advertisement issued by the company on December 4, 2023, after it had assured the court on November 21, 2023 that it would not make any “casual statements claiming medicinal efficacy or against any system of medicine”.

— A plea by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) accused the company of allegedly violating provisions of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, and making statements critical of allopathy.

— The Indian Medical Association (IMA) filed a petition at the apex court in August 2022 after Patanjali published an advertisement titled “MISCONCEPTIONS SPREAD BY ALLOPATHY: SAVE YOURSELF AND THE COUNTRY FROM THE MISCONCEPTIONS SPREAD BY PHARMA AND MEDICAL INDUSTRY.”

— The growing incidence of lifestyle diseases has made interventions that emphasise dietary management, “toxin removal”, “herbal therapies” and yoga popular. In the last two decades, successive governments have also taken steps to promote such healing systems.

— The current government has championed yoga, equipped Jan Aushadi stores with ayurvedic medicines, and merged the regulation of unani, ayurvedic, homoeopathy, yoga and siddha systems into a single ministry, AYUSH.

— Undoubtedly, these systems have a role in healthcare. But in a country where quackery and anti-science attitudes are rampant, there cannot be any compromise on regulatory protocols and evidence-based policy.

— An AYUSH ministry press release of December 17, 2021, speaks of close to 1,500 misleading advertisements from makers of such therapies between August 2018 and July 2021. However, there is very little about the action taken against such violators in the public domain.

• Digging Deep

What is the legal argument against Patanjali’s actions?

— The IMA claimed that the advertisement was in direct violation of the Drugs & Other Magical Remedies Act, 1954 (DOMA), and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (CPA). The publishing of false and misleading advertisements is an offence under both statutes.

— Under Section 4 of the DOMA, there is a prohibition against publishing misleading advertisements relating to a drug. This is described as an advertisement which “directly or indirectly gives a false impression regarding the true character of the drug”, “makes a false claim for the drug”, or “is otherwise false or misleading in any material particular.”

— Publishing a misleading advertisement under the DOMA is punishable with up to six months imprisonment, and/or a fine for the first offence. On the second offence, the period of imprisonment can extend to one year.

— The IMA has also highlighted the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Advertising Standards Council of India in January 2017.

— Section 89 of the CPA contains even more stringent punishments for false or misleading advertisements. It states: “Any manufacturer or service provider who causes a false or misleading advertisement to be made which is prejudicial to the interest of consumers shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees; and for every subsequent offence, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years and with fine which may extend to fifty lakh rupees.”

• What is a “misleading advertisement” ?

— The CPA provides the definition for a “misleading advertisement”. It includes advertisements which give a false description of the product or service, partakes in unfair trade practices, deliberately conceals important information, or is likely to mislead the consumer about the nature, substance, quantity or quality of the product or service.

• Points to ponder:

— Bringing Ayurveda into the mainstream: Is the ancient system equipped to meet the modern challenges of health and disease?

— What is ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP)?

Why did the Supreme Court ban Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali from advertising its products?

Supreme Court refuses to accept apology tendered by Baba Ramdev, Patanjali MD in misleading ads case

Is the ancient system equipped to meet the modern challenges of health and disease?

An Af-Pak warming

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: GS-II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

• What’s the ongoing story- Sharat Sabharwal writes: No stranger to terrorism, both as a perpetrator and victim, Pakistan has been jolted by three high-profile terror attacks recently within seven days. The Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army has taken responsibility for two attacks in Balochistan. One, that targeted the Turbat naval air base, which reportedly deploys Chinese drones and two, the Port Authority Complex of the Gwadar port, operated and expanded by the Chinese. The third attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed five Chinese engineers involved in the construction of the Dasu Hydropower Project on the Indus river under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Nine Chinese nationals working on the same project were killed in a similar attack in 2021.

• The Central Question: Why should Pakistan not blame India for unrest on its soil to hide its own flawed policies that are responsible for this insurgence?

• Prerequisites:

— What you must know?

The Saindak Copper-Gold Project

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)

Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K)

Durand Line

Balochistan

Strait of Hormuz

China and Pakistan:

— There are a number of Chinese personnel in Pakistan in connection with the CPEC projects. They and their interests have borne the brunt of periodic terror attacks in Pakistan in spite of the constitution of a special force to protect them.

— While calling for a thorough investigation into the killing of their personnel, China said it will continue to support Pakistan’s economic and social development. Why?

Answer: With the CPEC, China is more deeply invested in Pakistan than ever before. The Xinjiang-Gwadar linkage is too valuable for them to walk away from. An exit route for the Chinese to the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean, it bypasses the maritime choke points in the east.

Major factors behind slow progress of CPEC projects:

— The fraught security situation

— The expansion of the Gwadar port

— Low absorption capacity of the Pakistani economy

— Administrative bottlenecks

— Controversies among Pakistani stakeholders on various projects

Pakistan’s problems:

— Alienation of its ethnic minorities, particularly in Balochistan and the tribal belt;

— Encouragement to religious extremism and sectarianism

— Use of terror as an instrument of state policy

— An injudicious approach towards its neighbours – Iran and Afghanistan

( In Brief: Pakistan has had a festering border management problem with Iran, with both sides accusing each other of harbouring terrorists. Its heavy investment in the Afghan Taliban to gain strategic depth in Afghanistan has not paid the desired dividends. The Taliban regime in Kabul rejects the Durand Line and has failed to curb the violent activities of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from Afghan soil despite persistent Pakistani demands. There has been a sharp uptick in TTP attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban takeover in Kabul. Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) has claimed some deadly attacks both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan has had flare-ups with Iran and Afghanistan in recent months.)

•Points to ponder:

— How should India respond?

(Thought Process: Sharat Sabharwal writes: The new Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar has said that the policy of suspension of trade with India since August 2019 will now be reviewed. Only time will tell if it results in anything positive. However, should Pakistan take a constructive approach, we must respond positively. In the meantime, we should take all the necessary steps to protect ourselves from the rising wave of terror in our neighbourhood. That it will not remain confined to the Af-Pak region is evident from the reported involvement of ISIS-K in the terror attacks in Kerman (Iran) in January this year and Moscow recently.)

— Pakistan will “seriously” consider restoring trade ties with India that remained suspended since August 2019, Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar has said. What are the challenges to normalisation of India-Pakistan trade?

Express View: China, Pakistan and a fragile Corridor

What will it take to resume India-Pakistan trade?

The Ideas Page

West against the rest.

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

• What’s the ongoing story- The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ( NATO ) pompously celebrates the anniversary of its establishment on April 4, 75 years ago.

Denis Alipov writes: NATO was created to defend its member states from aggression. As the facts go, it never suffered from one or the threat of one. On the contrary, in the name of defending its member states, NATO went on the offensive. Over the last seven decades, it initiated or participated in more than 200 military conflicts worldwide, including 20 major ones. The bombing of Yugoslavia, the invasion of Iraq, the ruined statehood of Libya, the unlawful military interference in Syria and the dubious results of combating terrorism in Afghanistan are the most prominent among numerous cases in point.

• Key takeaways

— NATO’s military potential stands as an effective tool for maintaining the West’s hegemony over the nations that are not viewed as a military menace.

— The alliance dismantled dialogue mechanisms with Russia and adopted the Strategic Concept at the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid by which Moscow is proclaimed to be the most significant and direct threat to allied security, peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic — which Russia has never been, but that is trivia.

— NATO’s “eastern flank” is pumped with new assets and forces to gear up for the adjusted regional military plans.

— The Atlantic radar has turned towards the post-Soviet space and Eurasia at large to create more alienation lines and damage the traditionally close ties between countries in this part of the globe.

— Russia is closely monitoring the development of the situation at its borders and takes appropriate measures to safeguard national interests and protect its people.

• For Your Information-

— NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, was set up in 1949 by the US, Canada, and several western European nations to ensure their collective security against the Soviet Union. It was the US’s first peacetime military alliance outside the western hemisphere.

— NATO is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. At present, NATO has 32 member countries.

— Members of NATO are committed to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. Collective defence lies at the very heart of NATO, “a unique and enduring principle that binds its members together, committing them to protect each other and setting a spirit of solidarity within the Alliance”.

— Member countries of NATO

— Countries who have recently joined or ceded NATO

• Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Everyday Global: What is NATO, and why is Russia so insecure about Ukraine joining the US-led alliance?

As Sweden joins NATO, it bids farewell to more than two centuries of neutrality

An expanding NATO uses its diversity as strength. Member troops know Russia is watching

• MCQ based on the topic:

Consider the following countries:

Netherlands

How many of the countries given above are member countries of NATO?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) All four

Explained Page

Path to viksit bharat: why india should target per capita, not aggregate gdp.

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment.

• What’s the ongoing story- Many people are unaware that China had a lower per capita GDP than India in 1990. Or that its total GDP — the value of all goods and services generated within the country in a given year — was barely 23% larger than India’s.

In 1990, China and India were the world’s 11th and 12th largest economies, going by their nominal GDPs (at prevailing dollar-converted prices without adjusting for inflation ) of $395 billion and $321 billion respectively.

• Key takeaways:

— China’s real GDP (in constant inflation-adjusted US dollars) grew by an average of 10% per year in the 1990s, and 10.4% in the 2000s. By 2010, China had emerged as the world’s second biggest economy after the US, with a nominal GDP of $6.1 trillion — 15.4 times the level of 1990.

— India’s real GDP grew at a much slower rate — by 5.8% in the 1990s and 6.3% in the 2000s. At the end of 2010, India’s nominal GDP, at $1.7 trillion, was 5.2 times its 1990 level.

— India has seen its real GDP growth in dollar terms fall to an average of 5.9% during 2010-22 and 5.7% for the nine years from 2014.

— India’s nominal GDP, at $3.4 trillion in 2022, is just short of what China’s was in 2007, there is no escaping the fact that India has been a relative growth underperformer. To illustrate the point, Japan’s and Germany’s nominal GDP were $4.3 trillion and $4.1 trillion respectively in 2022. Back-of-the-envelope calculations show that India needs to grow at only 6% per year in current dollars, and the other two economies at 2%, for India to become the world’s No. 3 economy by 2028.

— However, for a country like India with its massive population and present levels of development, per capita GDP is at least as important as aggregate GDP.

— GDP growth has two basic components:

(i) Population (demographic)

(ii) Per capita output (economic, reflective of the population’s general standard of living)

• Do you know:

GDP: GDP is the total market value of all goods and services produced in the economy during a particular year, inclusive of all taxes and subsidies on products.

Real GDP: The value taken at constant prices — that is prices for all products taken at an unchanged base year — is the real GDP.

Real GDP growth rate = Nominal GDP growth rate — Inflation Rate

Nominal GDP: The market value taken at current prices is the nominal GDP.

GNP: The Gross National Product (GNP) measures the monetary value of all goods and services by the people and companies of a country regardless of where this value was created.

GNI: Gross national income (GNI) is defined as gross domestic product, plus net receipts from abroad of compensation of employees, property income and net taxes less subsidies on production.

(Source: data.oecd.org )

— The Indian government has targeted a “Viksit Bharat” or developed India by 2047. At current per capita GDP levels, India is a “lower-middle income” ($1,136-4,465 range) country, and China is an “upper-middle income” ($4,466-13,845) country.

— Since a developed country is one where the average standard of living is high — linked to a per capita GDP of $13,846 or more — that’s a target well worth aiming for.

— When were these notions of GDP and GNP created?

— What is GVA?

— What is GDP deflator?

India’s GDP data for 2023-24’s Q3: Why have GDP and GVA growth rates diverged?

Explained: The nominal GDP worry

Explained: What is GDP and why does it matter?

Economy Page

What is the us-uk deal on ai safety testing.

Preliminary Examination: Current events of international importance, General Science

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology

• What’s the ongoing story-

— The United States and the United Kingdom on Monday (April 1) signed an agreement that would see them work together to develop tests for the most advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models as per the commitments made at the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit last year.

— Both countries will share vital information about the capabilities and risks associated with AI models and systems, according to the agreement, which has taken effect immediately.

— They will also share fundamental technical research on AI safety and security with each other, and work on aligning their approach towards safely deploying AI systems.

— As part of the agreement, both countries will align their scientific approaches and collaborate closely to accelerate and rapidly iterate strong suites of assessments for AI models, systems, and agents.

— The US and UK AI Safety Institutes have also announced efforts to develop a uniform approach to AI safety testing and exchange capabilities in order to effectively address these threats.

— They also intend to tap into a collective pool of expertise by exploring personnel exchanges between the Institutes.

— According to a press statement from the US Department of Commerce, the US and UK are strengthening their relationship on AI safety and have pledged to developing similar agreements with other governments to advance AI safety around the world.

— The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the US has separately started consultation on the risks, benefits and potential policy related to dual-use foundation models with widely available weights — parameters that AI models learn during training and processing which help them make decisions.

— Meta, which has open-sourced its Llama model, in its submission to NTIA’s consultation called open source the “foundation” of US innovation.

— In 2023, the EU reached a deal with member states on its AI Act which includes safeguards on the use of AI within the EU, including clear guardrails on its adoption by law enforcement agencies. Consumers have been empowered to launch complaints against any perceived violations.

Meet EVI, the world’s first conversational AI with emotional intelligence from Hume

Artificial intelligence makes a debut in Lok Sabha polls with deepfakes, voice cloning

Analysing datasets: How predictive AI models are gaining traction

Strongest earthquake in 25 yrs rocks Taiwan, 9 killed, over 1000 injured

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.

— The most powerful earthquake in a quarter-century shook Taiwan , killing nine people, stranding workers, and sending inhabitants screaming out the windows of damaged buildings.

— Taiwan is frequently shaken by earthquakes, and its people are among the most prepared for them. However, authorities did not issue any alerts since they expected a very little quake. A tsunami warning was issued but later withdrawn.

• Key takeaways:

— Notably, Taiwan is prone to earthquakes as it lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — where 90% of the world’s earthquakes take place.

— According to the USGS, the island and its surrounding waters have recorded around 2,000 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater since 1980, as well as more than 100 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5.5, according to an Associated Press article.

• Do You Know-

From the Explained Section :

— Ring of Fire: The Ring of Fire is essentially a string of hundreds of volcanoes and earthquake-sites which runs along the Pacific Ocean. It is a semicircle or horse shoe in shape and stretches nearly 40,250 kilometres.

— The Ring of Fire traces the meeting points of numerous tectonic plates, including the Eurasian, North American, Juan de Fuca, Cocos, Caribbean, Nazca, Antarctic, Indian, Australian, Philippine, and other smaller plates, which all encircle the large Pacific Plate.

— It runs through 15 more countries including the USA, Indonesia, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Guatemala, Russia, Chile, Peru, and the Philippines.

• Previous earthquakes in Taiwan:

2016 Yujing (6.4 magnitude earthquake)

1999 Chi-Chi (7.6 magnitude earthquake)

1941 Tainan (7.3 magnitude earthquake)

1935 Shinchiku-Taichū (7.1 magnitude earthquake)

• Map Work:

Map of Pacific Ring of Fire (Credit: USGS)

List out the countries near by Ring of Fire
List out the location of major and minor tectonics plate

• Points to ponder:

— What are tectonics plate?

— Why is the Ring of Fire vulnerable to earthquakes?

— Why are there so many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire?

• Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Massive earthquake hits Taiwan: What is the Ring of Fire?

Here’s a look at the strongest earthquakes to hit Taiwan in recent times

• MCQ based on the topic:

United Kingdom

How many of the above countries are covered under Ring of Fire?

For any queries and feedback, contact manas.srivastava@ indianexpress.com

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Crop Diversification in India

Gs3/gs1 paper .

Syllabus: Agriculture/ Geography

Source: DTE

Context: West Bengal farmers are shifting from wheat cultivation to more lucrative options like bananas, lentils, and maize, especially in border districts like Murshidabad and Nadia.

Reasons Behind the Shift from Wheat Production:

Wheat Blast Disease : The emergence of wheat blast disease in Bangladesh in 2016 led to a two-year ban on wheat cultivation in border areas of West Bengal. This prompted farmers to explore alternative crops due to the severe yield losses caused by the fungal infection.
Economic Viability: Farmers have turned to alternative crops like bananas due to their higher profitability compared to wheat . Stagnant wheat prices and concerns over water consumption further incentivized the shift.
Shift to Higher Output Crops : Maize cultivation has surged in the area, with production increasing eightfold from 2011 to 2023. Despite lower prices per quintal compared to wheat, maize offers higher per-hectare output and demand from poultry and food processing industries, making it a lucrative alternative.
Pulses and oilseed production have also seen significant growth in the region.

Other reasons for this shift in West Bengal and other parts of India:

Nutrient deficiency in soil: Continuous cultivation of the same crops depletes specific nutrients from the soil, leading to soil nutrient deficiency and decreased microfauna population . Example : Rice-wheat system in Northwestern India replacing traditional crops like pulses and oilseeds.
Resource use efficiency : Monocropping reduces resource-use efficiency. Introducing diverse crops and cropping patterns helps revive soil health and improve resource-use efficiency.
Urbanization : Increased food demand due to population growth and urbanization stresses agricultural land, leading to crop intensification and substitution of food crops with commercial crops.
Infrastructure facilities : Improved irrigation, transport, storage, and marketing facilities allow farmers to diversify towards more profitable crops.
Government incentives : Initiatives like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and state government financial incentives encourage farmers to change cropping patterns.
Erratic rainfall : Sudden adverse weather conditions like erratic rainfall, drought, and pest outbreaks compel farmers to diversify their cropping patterns for risk mitigation.

What is Crop Diversification?

Crop diversification refers to the practice of growing a variety of crops on a farm instead of focusing on just one or a few crops . Crop diversification in India represents a strategic shift from the traditional monoculture farming practices towards a more varied cultivation approach. Through diversifying crops, farmers can reduce dependency on a single crop , thereby increasing resilience against climatic and economic fluctuations

Types of crop diversification:

The trend of crop diversification in India:

Towards Cash crops: g., growing more cash crops like fruit and vegetables instead of food grains .
India produces 10% of the world’s production of fruits and holds the first place in the case of fruits like papaya, mango, and banana, among others.
These are not only water-efficient but also climate-resilient.
Organic farming : Many regions of the country have also seen an increase in cropping area under organic farming. States like Sikkim have become fully organic states.
ZBNF : Many states like Maharastra, and Telangana are promoting Zero Budget Natural farming , under it use of chemicals for growing crops is discouraged.

Significance/Benefits of Crop Diversification in India:

Government Initiatives for Crop Diversification

National Food Security Mission (NFSM ): Encourages farmers to grow pulses and oilseeds in addition to cereals.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) : Focuses on improving water use efficiency through micro-irrigation, supporting the cultivation of less water-intensive crops.
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) : Promotes organic farming, facilitating diversification into high-value organic crops.
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) : Provides flexibility and autonomy to states to prioritize their agriculture and allied sector investments, including diversification efforts.
1. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP) , a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) is being implemented in the Original Green Revolution States viz; Haryana, Punjab & Western Uttar Prades h since 2013-14 to divert the area of water-intensive paddy crop to alternative crops like pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals, Nutri cereals etc
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): Aims at holistic growth of the horticulture sector, encouraging farmers to diversify into horticultural crops.
Mera Pani-Meri Virasat Scheme (Haryana): Provides financial aid to farmers transitioning from paddy cultivation to water-saving alternatives such as pulses, oilseeds, millets, and vegetables.

Challenges with the Crop Diversification in India:

Market Risks and Limited Opportunities : Farmers may hesitate to switch from established crops like rice and wheat due to fluctuating market prices and limited demand for alternative crops, potentially leading to income loss.
Financial Constraints : Diversifying crops requires additional investment in seeds, equipment, and knowledge, which smallholder farmers may lack. Creating a market for nutritious crops like millet also requires investment in processing facilities.
Lack of Infrastructure and Storage : Perishable diversified crops need specialized storage and transportation facilities, which are often lacking in rural areas. Without proper infrastructure, there’s a risk of spoilage, resulting in wasted produce and lost income.
Clash With Dietary Habits : Crop diversification could disrupt established market dynamics and consumption patterns in regions where rice and wheat are staple foods, potentially affecting market acceptance and farmer livelihoods.

The way forward and Conclusion:

Moving forward, India can explore innovative approaches to promote crop diversification and sustainable agriculture. One such avenue is agri-tourism and ‘U-Pick’ farms , where tourists can engage in experiential agriculture by harvesting fruits and vegetables directly from the fields. This not only offers farmers additional income but also fosters a connection between consumers and agriculture , promoting appreciation for diversified crops.

Moreover, advancements in gene editing techniques like CRISPR present an opportunity for biofortification , enhancing the nutritional value of crops to address malnutrition concerns and open new markets for biofortified produce.

Additionally, integrating regenerative agriculture practices such as cover cropping, composting, and no-till farming with diversified crop rotations can contribute to sustainable diversification. These practices not only improve long-term crop yields but also sequester carbon, mitigating the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Mains Links:

How did India benefit from the contributions of Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Dr. M.S. Swaminathan in the fields of water engineering and agricultural science respectively? (UPSC 2019)

Explain various types of revolutions, that took place in Agriculture after Independence in India. How have these revolutions helped in poverty alleviation and food security in India? (UPSC 2017)

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Tourism Sector in India – Explained, pointwise

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[Burning Issue] Tourism Sector of India

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Types of tourism

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Global tourism industry

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Prospects of Indian Tourism

What is the Importance of Tourism in India?

Challenges of the Indian tourism sector

What needs to be done? Way forward

Steps taken by Government in this regard

MICE tourism model of Gujarat

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