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Reviving "Atithi Devo Bhava": Key to Transforming Indian Tourism

"Atithi Devo Bhava" was a very powerful tag line used by the Ministry of Tourism. These three words sum up the Indian culture in the way Indian families believe in treating their guests. This campaign played a crucial role in fostering a more welcoming and respectful environment for tourists in India, thereby increasing Intenational tourist arrival by 10 -12 % and domestic tourist by 7 -9 %.  Unfortunately, the impact was short lived and soon forgotten.  We all understand that tourism has the potential to transform the country by stimulating economic growth, enhancing cultural exchange and promoting sustainable development. It not only contributes to the GDP directly by generating revenue from various sector like hospitality, transportation, retail, entertainment etc, it also has a multiplier effect in sector like agriculture and construction.  It is encouraging to see rise in infrastructure spending with focus on good quality roads, airports, and railways. The recent uni...
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Waste Management in India: Skill vs Will Issue

India is on the fast track to becoming a developed nation, with a booming economy, rapid urbanization, and ambitious growth targets. However, solid waste management continues to be a dampener. There are of course exceptional islands of excellence worth emulating. Still, inspite of the Swatch Bharat Campaign, mass awareness, adoption of good practices and technology integration remains limited. It is estimated that every day, urban centers in India generate about 150,000 tons of solid waste, with a broad breakup of organic waste 40 to 60%, recyclable 10 to 15%, plastic 8 to12%, inert 5 to 8% and hazardous 2 to 3%, of which only 70-75% is collected, and even less—around 20-25%—is actually treated. This stark gap is not just a challenge of infrastructure or technology but also of skill and will, both at the Govt at all levels and the public at large. While technical "skills" in solid waste management (SWM) remain limited, the "will" to address these gaps comprehensivel...
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My Experiences in Afghanistan -Part 3

I am writing this in continuation to my previous articles, viz; Skill Development:  Lessons from Afghanistan (1) and Skill Development:  Lessons from Afghanistan (2) in case you missed them earlier: Read on further…. Another learning from the past. The India Skills centre was approved to be setup on 28 Aug 2005 through a joint statement of the two heads of the States. The entire team was overjoyed imagining what it would be like. The team made several visits to Kabul in quick succession, essentially to establish liaison with the concerned people in the Afghanistan Government, visit the training centres set up by other countries like South Korea, Japan and Iraq, visit several construction sites to understand the live issues and skill needs. These visits gave us good perspective of what must be done and what should be avoided and why. The final go ahead from the Government was received after a detailed process of budgeting and re-budgeting and responding to queries of...
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