Tag Archives: Secretary

India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) celebrated the completion of 50 years at a gala event at The Ashok, New Delhi. The event was graced by the presence of Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Suman Billa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and Umang Narula, Chairman & Managing Director, ITDC. The who’s who of the travel and hospitality industry joined the celebrations and raised a toast to ITDC.

The Ministry of AYUSH, in collaboration with Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), is organising a two days BRICS Wellness Workshop in Bengaluru from September 10-11, 2016. The workshop, being held in Bengaluru, is designed to have sessions related to traditional systems of medicine, trade and economy, wellness and sustainable development goals (SDGs), wellness indicators for BRICS, wellness and tourism among others. It will also include a session on WHO strategy for traditional medicine. Simultaneously, the Ministry of AYUSH is also organising a four day Arogya Fair, a comprehensive health and wellness fair showcasing strengths of traditional systems/wellness sector in India as well as other BRICS partner countries during September 10-13, 2016. Secretary level officers and traditional medicine/wellness experts from the BRICS countries will participate in the BRICS wellness workshop. Speaking on the significance of the BRICS Wellness Workshop, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH, Ajit M. Sharan said that traditional medicine has assumed an important role in contemporary community health care due to its health promotive, disease preventive, curative, rehabilitative and rejuvenation properties. The Workshop has been organised to promote partnerships with BRICS nations, have knowledge sharing and push forward AYUSH initiatives in these countries which will further help in globalization of AYUSH, he explained. Highlighting the growing importance of AYUSH in BRICS countries, Sharan said that many of these countries have already taken steps in this direction, eg, China has set up college of Yoga while Ayurveda is gaining popularity in Russia. The Arogya fair to be organised simultaneously at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru will provide a good exposure for manufacturers/importers of Traditional Medicines/Raw Materials of the BRICS Countries to have first-hand experience of Indian Traditional Medicinal products/manufacturing facilities. …

Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, recently visited Shanghai in a bid to attract Chinese investment in India’s tourism sector. Close to 20 prominent investors participated in the event which was a part of roadshows being conducted in different parts of the world to promote participation of investors’ at the forthcoming Incredible India Tourism Investors Summit scheduled  to be held at New Delhi from September 21-23, 2016 being organised by MOT, in partnership with Tourism Finance Corporation of India and the CII. The Summit will bring together more than 20 Indian states unveiling a large bouquet of projects close to around 1000 in number, both of core infrastructure and those specific to various themes of tourism be it hospitality, medical, MICE, Buddhist, entertainment and cruise tourism etc, the Secretary informed the Chinese investors. He also said that what makes this Summit unique is that it would see a large no of B2G meetings and states would offer single window for foreign and domestic investors interested in picking up their tourism sector projects in the true spirit of ease of doing business. Zutshi also pointed out that never was there a more favourable time to invest in India than now with strong macro-economic indicators and the current government’s commitment to investment facilitation like never before. Several members who were present from the Chinese side expressed their interest in attending the Summit in now Delhi next month and appreciated the preparation of the Indian Government in attracting Tourism specific foreign investment.

After easing visa services with the introduction of e-Tourist Visa (eTV), the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) is also planning to provide free Wi-Fi services at tourism hubs in India, revealed Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. He added that after discussions with various service providers, BSNL would most likely work with MOT to offer such provisions.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) will soon be providing SIM cards for tourists who avail the e-Tourist Visa (eTV) services, informed Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, MOT, Govt. of India. “We are in talks with a few service providers to partner with us for this and it will be launched very soon,” he said. Referring to the proposed eTV for MICE, he said that eTV for business tourists will most likely be rolled out first. He added the department is still working on other proposed amendments in eTV, such as modifying single-entry to multiple & extension of eTV application duration from 30  to 60 days.

The Ministry of Tourism (MOT) has formed a task force with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to address and simplify regional connectivity scheme. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, MOT, Government of India, said, “By working together, we aim to make travelling for tourists much simpler especially for those who opt for the different theme based circuits.” A meeting was held last week between the two ministries to discuss the particulars and address complications that may arise. This would also simplify travel for the transnational Buddhist Circuit which is in the pipeline and has recently been approved.

The Ministry of Tourism is planning theme based events for attracting tourists in the country, revealed Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, while addressing he members of Indian Association of Tour Operators in New Delhi. He said, “We are working on theme based events in India in the next six months. We have shortlisted three themes—medical tourism, adventure tourism and MICE tourism. We want to create a buzz about India and partner with FICCI or some other organisation and organise an international event, to attract the world’s attention to the country. However, we will focus on only one such event this year.”

India Tourism was awarded the “3rd Best Tourism Destination in Asia for 2016”, at ITB, Berlin, Germany. Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism along with the members of Indian team received the award certificate presented to India Tourism, for “3rd Best Tourism Destination in Asia for 2016”, on March 12, 2016.

R.K.Verma, a 1980 batch of Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE), has assumed the charge of the post of Secretary, Railway Board. Before assuming the post of Secretary, Railway Board on February 9, he was serving as advisor (Public Grievance) to the Minister of State for Railways. Verma, after completion of his B.Tech (Civil Engineering) from IIT(BHU), Varanasi and M.Tech (Structural Engineering) from IIT Delhi joined, Indian Railways on February 10, 1982. He has worked on various railways viz. Southern, North-East Frontier Eastern and Western including Indian Railways Institute of Civil Engineering, Pune in various capacities. His technical papers have been published in various national/international, conferences of institution of permanent way Engineers (India), International Union of Railways, International Rail Safety, International Heavy Haul Association, World Congress on Railway Research etc. He has undergone training in Heavy Haul Operations in South Africa. He also has Life Fellowship of: Institution of Engineers (India), Institution of Permanent Way Engineers(India) and Indian Institute of Bridge Engineers.

In a bid to boost medical tourism into India, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is planning to extend e-medical visa facility, said Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, Tourism, Government of India. Speaking on the recently held first meeting of National Medical and Wellness Tourism Promotion Board, he said, “India has a distinct advantage, in terms of cost of people in the medical industry, the time required for getting operation dates, and having state-of-the-art hospitals. Now, we are also contemplating to get the e-medical visa facility extended to various countries, so that the medical and wellness tourism in India prospers further.”