World-famous tourist spot Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir has become the first destination in the country to adopt the Swachhta Green Leaf Rating as part of the sustainable tourism program. The Swachhta Green Leaf Rating (SGLR) system will be introduced at the tourist spot on a pilot basis to assess tourism infrastructure like hotels, resorts, home stays on the parameters of safe sanitation practices, according to a top state official.
The SGLR is a collaborative initiative taken by the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS) and the Tourism Ministry for voluntary rating of hospitality infrastructure for hygiene and sanitation.
Virtually launching the adoption of the SGLR in the hospitality sector by hoteliers in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo advised all stakeholders, including the authorities concerned, to ensure the success of this model. He said that J&K, as the torchbearer, has an added responsibility to set an example.
“Since tourism is one of the mainstays of our economy, it has added significance for us to preserve the pristine assets of beauty and a pleasant environment in our UT”, Dullo said.
He further said that responsible citizens lead to responsible practices in each sector, considering the three pillars of sustainable development: economy, ecology, and equity.
Dulloo unveiled the three components of Solid Waste Management (SWM), Faecal Sludge Management (FSM), and Greywater Management (GWM), emphasising their practical principles.
“Three phases of accreditation involving orientation for stakeholders, voluntary declaration, followed by verification and ground truthing, as facilitative steps to improve tourist destinations”, he said.
The SGLR comprises three themes, each allocated a total of 200 marks, with the first two having 80 marks each and the last one having 40 marks.
“Participating entities are required to score at least 50 per cent in each theme to be eligible for the certification process. Entities scoring 100-130 marks receive ”1-Leaf Status,” 130-180 marks as ”3-Leaf Status,” and those scoring between 180-200 achieve the best with ”5-Leaf Status,” the official said.
The rating system is part of Travel for LiFE program for tourism sector under Mission LiFE, that has been envisaged to create awareness about sustainable tourism and to nudge the tourists and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable practices synchronous with nature.
The program aims to mainstream sustainability into tourism sector towards developing a sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism sector.
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A high-level Parliamentary panel has suggested this to the culture ministry in a recently released report.
Referring to footfalls at Centrally protected monuments, the committee on transport, tourism and culture recommended that the culture ministry “should make an assessment of the cumulative impact of all the ASI efforts towards attracting more number of visitors to ASI monuments and examine these efforts vis-a-vis the best global practices”.
It has further suggested that state-of-the-art technologies being adopted by other countries in promotion of culture also need to be studied so that the same could be replicated in India as well.
The Rajya Sabha panel further sought to know about the fate of 50 missing Centrally protected monuments and recommended the ministry to direct ASI to initiate an urgent survey of such monuments in light of the lack of physical security instead of making it “as and when” matter based on the inputs of ASI field officers.
While appreciating ASI’s efforts towards retrieving antiquities, the committee sought to be briefed about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) being followed in this regard, especially the responsibility of upkeep and preservation of the repatriated antiquities including the role of respective states and the involvement of museum authorities.
The committee also suggested that the culture ministry should put in all efforts to allocate adequate funds to North eastern states.The ministry should strive make an effort for 100 per cent utilisation of the budget grants available for promotion and awareness of it’s varied schemes being implemented in North eastern areas, it said.
The committee further reiterated that there is a consistent decrease in the funds allocated to the North eastern states and it felt that the 10 per cent mandatory allotment should be revised as per the demands raised by individual states in North eastern areas.
The ministry must increase the said amount as per the requirements of states and cultural organisations for proper promotion of the programmes and activities to be undertaken in Northeastern areas, it stated further.
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