Category: India

Flight service from Salem and Chennai under UDAN scheme resumed after a span of 7 years. The flight flew with a seating capacity of over 72 seats, at a price point of Rs 1,499. K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Union Minister, Pon Radhakrishnan inaugurated the service coordinated by airline carrier Trujet. Palaniswami on the occasion said that the service under UDAN scheme would aid certain cities in industrial development – Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri. The Chief Minister also declared a green corridor connecting Salem and Chennai with a budget of Rs 10,000 crores. “The next phase of the ... Read more

Foreign tourists, except those from Pakistan and China, may soon be allowed to visit some of the most pristine locations of the country, kept out of bound so far for them without a special permit. The Union home ministry is examining whether to relax the six-decade-old Restricted Area Permit regime, under which foreigners must obtain a special permission to visit Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir among others. “Discussions are on with the state governments to relax the Restricted Area Permit provisions for some areas for foreign tourists,” said Union Minister of ... Read more

Maharashtra government, at last, has ordered a complete ban on plastic carry bags and thermocol cutlery. State Minister for Environment, Ramdas Kadam pointed out that the use of plastic is the root cause of major illnesses. Maharashtra thus becomes the 18th state in India to put a strong decision against plastics. Additionally, a fine of Rs 5000 was put forward, against the rule violators, said the Minister. “Maharashtra produces 1,100 tonnes of waste every day. Today, there is tonnes of waste in the state. This is a major cause of diseases, sometimes life-threatening diseases. Plastic is banned in 17 states ... Read more

ATTOI (Association of Tourism Trade Organizations, India), in association with Ministry of Ayush is organising a tour of yoga professionals from across the world to Kerala, known as the “Yoga’s birth place”. The 10-day educational tour, Yoga Ambassadors Tour, is organised as part of the various programmes organised by the ministry on the International Yoga Day (IDY) with the support of Kerala Tourism. “Applications have been invited from established and practicing yoga professionals from around the world to have a first-hand experience of Kerala, the southern state of India, the country proud to be known as the birth place of ... Read more

Australia has terminated its employer-sponsored 457 visa programme, which is highly used by Indians. The authorities further replaced it with a new stringent programme that requires higher English-language proficiency and job skills. The visa programme 457 allowed companies to hire foreign workers for up to four years in skilled jobs in which there was a shortage of Australian workers. Most of the category visa holders come from India, with about a quarter of the hiring, followed by the United Kingdom and China respectively to 19.5 per cent and 5.8 per cent. It was replaced on March 18 by a new Temporary Skills ... Read more

In an attempt to increase passenger amenities and to give an aesthetic makeover to the most visited stations across Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways has formulated the plan to redevelop 90 stations across Indian Railways. The redevelopment plan of 90 stations is assigned to different zones/nodal agencies. Given that some stations are important pilgrimage hubs and report over 45,000 footfalls per day, Indian Railways would strive to ensure that passenger’s get best services at the stations even during peak seasons. It may be noted that Indian Railways is in the process of redevelopment of more than 600 stations. While doing ... Read more

A low danger avalanche warning has been issued by the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE), across various hilly regions in Jammu and Kashmir. All tourist in the valley is advised to take safety measures, considering the weather condition. According to an official statement from Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, the following regions are under threat- Baramulla, Gulmarg, Furkian-Z Gali, Kupwara, Chowkibal-Tangdhar, Kulgam, Badgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Gurez in Kashmir, besides Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, an alert is also spread for Kargil, as well as nearby areas at Leh Ladakh regions namely Poonch, Rajouri, Reasi, ... Read more

According to World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), travel & tourism in 2017 in India supported 41 million jobs and is expected to rise to 43 million in 2018, and a further 53 million in 2028. India will add around 10 million jobs in the travel and tourism sector by 2028 said the WTTC report. India is currently the seventh largest travel and tourism economy in the world. Overall, the total contribution of the sector to the economy was Rs 15.2 trillion ($ 234 billion) in 2017 after taking direct, indirect and induced benefits are taken in to account. WTTC’s annual ... Read more

Tourism Minister K J Alphons has said that the Ministry of Tourism proposes to keep open the restaurants and night markets to promote tourism in India. “There is a need to have activities in all tourist spots and monuments all over the country after sunset too,” said the minister in a statement. The ministry has taken an initiative to illuminate monuments after dusk so as to engage more activities near the monuments after sunset. “This will promote a wholesome entertainment, employment and revenue generation for the tourism sector 24×7,” explained the minister. The ministry is also in talks with the Archaeological ... Read more

A three-day International Yoga Fest, a curtain raiser for International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2018 was inaugurated by the Minister of State (IC) for Development of North Eastern Region, MoS for PMO, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Dept. of Atomic Energy and Space Dr. Jitendra Singh at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi. “Yoga helps us in becoming strong which in turn leads to the creation of a healthier, more powerful and a happy family, society and nation. Yoga has now united the world for its appeal for a healthy life. Yoga has taught us to tackle stressful life style ... Read more

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is experimenting with potential structures for lunar habitation, informed Jitendra Singh, minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office that looks after the Department of Space. “ISRO along with academic institutions is doing experimentation on potential structures for lunar habitation. Various options are being studied about the requirements and complexities of habitats. The study is more towards futuristic developments,” the minister said. India plans to send an orbiter, a lander and a rover to the Moon this year to study lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has issued a proposal to ban on slaughtering of animals and birds, within 10 km radius of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. The new move is to ensure safety for flight, from scavenger birds that have been causing a frequent threat to aircraft. The proposal further concludes as any violations informed by the authority could end up in a licence cancel. “No licence to poultry shops, running within a 10-km radius from boundary wall of Delhi airport, shall be granted,” said SDMC health committee. According to Bhagat Singh Tokas, councillor from Muirka, ... Read more

Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has warned Facebook that if found that the social media giant is involved in any data breach of Indians, the government will take strict action against them including the summoning of Mark Zuckerberg to India. “If Facebook is found to be involved in data breach of Indians, we will take very strict action against them including the summoning of Mark Zuckerberg to India,” said the minister. “Today, 20 crore Indians are on Facebook. If the data of the Indians is shared through facebook, we have the stringent IT Act. We can even summon Facebook officials ... Read more

With an aim to increase the tourist inflow – both international and domestic – and to boost intra-state tourism, the state government of Maharashtra is planning to frame a new tourism policy. “The government has categorised tourists visiting the Maharashtra as international, Indian and those from the State. The government is presently working on creating its own tourism policy,” said Minister Jaykumar Rawal. Maharashtra now has five out of the 36 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. “An independent heritage policy would be drawn up to conserve forts and monuments in the State,” the minister added. The tourism policy will include concession ... Read more

The Central government has inked four MoUs with US-based hospitality major Airbnb  under the aegis of the Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER) to promote tourism and generate technology-enabled livelihood opportunities in the North-East. “The development of the North East Region is of prime importance for the overall inclusive growth of India, and tourism development has always been one of our key focus areas, keeping in mind the North East’s natural beauty and cultural heritage,” said Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, ... Read more