Government initiatives : news and updates

News: The Ministry of Tourism has organised an interesting webinar titled “Exploring Buddhist Circuit by Train”  as a part of the ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ Webinar series.

Facts:

• Dekho Apna Desh Initiative: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism launched in January 2020.
• Objective: To promote domestic tourism in India which is intended to enhance tourist footfalls in places of tourist interest so as to help develop the local economy.
• Dekho Apna Desh Webinar series: During the pandemic, the Ministry of Tourism as part of its ongoing engagement with the industry and its audiences is organising webinars on the overall theme of ‘DekhoApnaDesh’.
  • Objective: To create awareness about and promote various tourism destinations of India – including the lesser-known destinations and lesser-known facets of popular destinations.

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News: Union Education Minister and Union Minister for Textiles and Women & Child Development jointly launched the Toycathon 2021.

Facts:

• Toycathon 2021: It’s a kind of hackathon for the toy industry. It has been organized by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Ministry of Textile, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of I&B and All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE).
• Aim: To conceptualize innovative toys based on the Indian value system which will inculcate the positive behavior and good value among the children.
• Themes: It is based on nine themes viz. Indian Culture, History, Knowledge of India and Ethos; Learning, Education and Schooling; Social and human values; Occupations & specific fields; Environment; Divyang ; Fitness and sport; Out of the box, creative and logical thinking and Rediscovering/redesigning traditional Indian toys.

Why is Toycathon being organized?

• Toycathon is being organized to develop India as the global Toy manufacturing hub.
• India is home to 25% of global children belongs to the age group of 0 to 12 years.
• India is home to several toy clusters and thousands of artisans produce indigenous toys which not only have cultural connect but also helps in building life-skills and psychomotor skills among children especially at an early age.
• India’s share in the global toy market is estimated to be at $90 billion, which is just 0.5 per cent of the global share. Apart from that 80 per cent of the toys sold in India are imported from China.

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Source: PIB

News: Union Minister for Tourism has held a review meeting review meeting of the “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” project.

Facts:

• Adopt a Heritage Project: It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India. It was launched in September 2017 on World Tourism Day.
• Aim: To ensure quality & inclusive provision of amenities and facilities across heritage, natural, & tourist sites through active participation of private and public sector organizations and individuals. These organizations would be known as “Monument Mitras” for their collaboration initiative.
• Objectives of the Project:
  • Developing basic tourism infrastructure in and around heritage sites, monuments, natural sites and tourist sites.
  • Develop facilities and amenities to improve the tourist experience at heritage sites, monuments, natural sites and tourist sites.
  • Promote cultural and heritage value of the country and develop avenues to create awareness about the heritage/natural/tourist sites in the country
  • Develop and promote sustainable tourism infrastructure and ensure proper Operations and Maintenance therein.
  • Develop employment opportunities and support livelihoods of local communities at heritage sites.
• Eligibility: Private and Public Sector Companies, Trusts, NGOs and Individuals are eligible for adopting heritage site (s)/ monument (s) under this project.
• Key Features of the Project:
  • The sites/monuments are selected on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility and can be adopted by private and public sector companies and individuals known as Monument Mitras for an initial period of five years.
  • The Monument Mitras are selected by the ‘oversight and vision committee,’ co-chaired by the Tourism Secretary and the Culture Secretary on the basis of the bidder’s ‘vision’ for development of all amenities at the heritage site.
  • There is no financial bid involved. The corporate sector is expected to use corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for the upkeep of the site.