UP govt to install solar panels on hotels, guest houses under Tourism Dept

Survey begins to install solar panels on 40 hotels of UP State Tourism Corporation

The Uttar Pradesh government will install solar panels on hotels and guest houses under the Tourism Department. The Non-Conventional Energy Development Authority (NEDA) has been directed to set up solar energy plants in the hotels run by the tourism corporation. NEDA has begun a survey and is likely to install the solar panels on 40 hotels of UP State Tourism Corporation (UPSTC). The state government may provide funds for this purpose in the supplementary budget likely to be tabled this month in the monsoon session of the assembly.

According to an NEDA engineer: “the move is aimed at minimising pollution and providing clean and green energy. Each hotel of corporation will have solar panels of different capacities depending upon the number of rooms and electricity usage.” The UPSTC has hotels in all prominent tourist spots in UP and a majority of them are situated in the Buddha circuit covering Shrawasti, Kapilvastu, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. The use of solar energy will not only provide clean and green energy but also reduce the electricity bills incurred on these units.

According to the officials of the Tourism Department, “every year a large number of foreign tourists from Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Bhutan visit places under the Buddha circuit. However, due to the electricity problem, most of them prefer to stay in private hotels. After providing uninterrupted solar energy the footfall of foreign tourists will increase in UPSTC hotels and it will contribute to the state coffers.”

Coronavirus crisis: Nationwide lockdown cripples Assam’s tourism industry

Tourism in Assam has been crippled and scores of people working for this sector are now facing the brunt as there is a nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the deadly virus

The Covid-19 pandemic has been terrible for several businesses, but tourism is among the most affected sectors. Tourism in Assam has been crippled and scores of people working for this sector are now facing the brunt as there is a nationwide lockdown to halt the spread of the deadly virus. Speaking to ANI on the same, Sailendra Pandey, Public Relations Officer of Assam Forest Minister, on Friday said that his government will take requisite measures to boost the sector after the conclusion of the lockdown.

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“Tourism has halted at the time when it usually peaks. After the lockdown ends, we’ll focus on reviving this sector,” he said. A couple of weeks back, the Centre had decided to extend lockdown till May 3. Addressing the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said, stakeholders including states and people have favoured extension of lockdown. The Prime Minister had stated that integrated and holistic approach has helped India to handle the situation properly. He further had said, tight vigil will be kept on all hotspots and containment zones and strict implementation of the lockdown will be ensured so that the virus does not spread to new areas.

More African countries confirm first virus cases as Jack Ma pledges aid

Thirty African countries – more than half the continent – are now treating nearly 400 patients with coronavirus, after Tanzania, Liberia, Benin and Somalia said they registered their first cases

More African nations confirmed their first cases of the coronavirus and shut borders amid fears of the disease’s impact on fragile health systems, as Chinese billionaire and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma pledged to donate over 1 million testing kits to the continent. Thirty African countries – more than half the continent – are now treating nearly 400 patients with coronavirus, after Tanzania, Liberia, Benin and Somalia said they registered their first cases.

Africa had until recently been spared the rapid spread of COVID-19, which has infected at least 180,000 people worldwide and caused over 7,000 deaths. But health experts are concerned the continent’s often dilapidated health infrastructure will struggle to cope as cases mount. “We cannot ignore the potential risk to Africa and assume this continent of 1.3 billion people will blissfully escape the crisis. The world cannot afford the unthinkable consequences of a COV-19 pandemic in Africa,” Ma’s foundation said in a statement.

The foundation will send 1.1 million testing kits, 6 million masks and 60,000 protective suits and face shields to Ethiopia for distribution to Africa’s 54 nations, it said. Earlier on Monday, the World Bank said it had committed $60 million to Kenya to help the East African nation battle the outbreak. Some countries on the continent, such as conflict-hit Somalia, depend on donors to support basic public health facilities. Somalian Health Minister Fawziya Abikar Nur said the ministry had quarantined and tested four Somalis who came from China last week, and one had tested positive for the respiratory disease. International flights to Somalia were suspended for two weeks, the aviation minister said.

Closer to lockdown: Gatherings of over 50 banned in Delhi amid virus spread

The Uttar Pradesh government, too, shut down multiplexes, cinema halls, and clubs in 11 districts, including Lucknow and those along the Nepal border, till March 31

With coronavirus cases swelling in the country, a Group of Ministers (GoM) on Monday proposed various measures, including the closure of all educational institutions, gymnasiums, museums, cultural and social centres, swimming pools, and theatres across the country. The government also banned the entry of passengers from countries in the European Union, Turkey, and the UK from March 18 till March 31.

The latest steps in the fight cased the coronavirus pandemic came as the number of positive cases in India reached at least 114 (there were reports of several active cases at the time of going to press). Fresh cases were witnessed in Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Kerala, and Telangana. From Delhi to Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, state governments moved another step towards imposing a lockdown.

In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said religious, social, cultural and political gatherings, as well as protests comprising more than 50 people, will not be allowed in the national capital until March 31. The city has been witnessing sit-in protests at Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia Islamia against the new citizenship law for over 90 days. He also announced the closure of gyms, nightclubs, and spas for this month.

The Uttar Pradesh government, too, shut down multiplexes, cinema halls, and clubs in 11 districts, including Lucknow and those along the Nepal border, till March 31. The state government had recently ordered the closure of schools and colleges until March 22. Tamil Nadu also joined scores of states in closing down educational institutions, public events, and large gatherings. Access to theatres, malls, amusement parks, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and zoos, too, have been barred…

Coronavirus outbreak: India bans air travel from UK, Europe till March 31

The order applies to both Indian and European airlines and also those from West Asia which carry traffic via Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha

Coronavirus: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday ordered suspension of all passenger traffic from Europe from Wednesday till March 31 to stop the spread of COVID-19. “Travel from member countries of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey, and the United Kingdom to India is prohibited with effect from March 18. The airline shall enforce this at the point of initial departure. Both these instructions are temporary measures and shall be in force till March 31 and will be reviewed subsequently,” Deputy Director General Sunil Kumar said in a circular.

The order applies to both Indian and European airlines and also those from West Asia, which carry traffic via Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha. The government’s latest directions comes as deaths spike in European countries — Italy said 349 were dead on Monday, a day after reporting 368 deaths. The US government, too, suspended all passenger movement to and from the European Union.

At present, Air India is the only Indian carrier operating to Europe while IndiGo flies to Turkey. Currently, Alitalia, Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, KLM, Swiss, Turkish Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic are operating their flights to India, while Finnair and LOT Polish Airlines have suspended their schedules. Last week, India suspended most categories of existing visas and advised citizens against travelling abroad while various countries too have restricted travel and closed borders. The Mumbai police, too, has ordered tour operators from organising group tours.

Govt’s big push to attract tourists: One-month e-visa at flexible charges

High visa charges is one reason that makes India less attractive to tourists and so the fee is being reduced to increase footfalls and foreign exchange receipts

The government will introduce one-month e-visa and make charges flexible, with fee for summer months — non-peak months for tourism — kept less than the rest of the year. Leisure tourists will be charged $10 for a 30-day e-visa for travel between April and June, and $25 for any other month, Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel announced on Tuesday. Currently, India charges $80-100 for one-year e-visa for tourists from most countries.

India attracted 10.5 million overseas tourists in 2018, far fewer than some of the other Asian countries. Singapore received 18.5 million tourists while Thailand welcomed over 38 million foreign visitors last year. High  e-tourist visa charges is one reason that makes India less attractive to tourists and so the fee is being reduced to increase footfalls and foreign exchange receipts.

For e-visas of one- and five-year durations, citizens of Japan, Singapore and Sri Lanka will be charged $25 while those from other countries will get those at $40 and $80, respectively. The decision to introduce one-month e-visa for tourists with a flexible fee structure was taken at a recent meeting in the Prime Minister’s Office. It was also decided to extend the validity of e-visa from current one year to five years. A formal order on the new charges will be issued upon approval from the external affairs ministry…

Why we shouldn’t be blaming the Indian tourist alone for Goa’s troubles

By playing the victim card, Goans abdicate their responsibility for the self-created mess that they find themselves mired in

Tourism in Goa has been in the news recently. A piece in a weekly conveyed Goans’ sense of outraged desperation at the behaviour of Indian tourists visiting Goa. Vijai Sardesai, the minister for town and country planning, was quoted calling a section of tourists’ ‘scum of the earth’.

The annual number of tourists visiting Goa is more than five times its 14.5 lakh population. Reports like the one in Open indicate that Goa is finding it difficult to keep its head above the surge. At the same time, a local newspaper has suggested that 35% of the population in Goa now consists of migrants. Are these the fount of Goa’s problems?

Goa is like a veritable pie that everyone wants a piece of. Drawn by its beauty and, the much spoken of laid-back lifestyle, there is a steady influx of people making the state their home. These features attract tourists too. Others come in search of employment. It comes as no surprise, then, that property is a gold mine and land is coveted. Not only are Goans selling, converting or renting their old houses, but land too is being converted for commercial and residential purposes.

With Goans migrating and families becoming smaller and residing in different parts of the world, maintaining properties is no longer easy. Selling it, therefore, becomes the best way to cash in and divvy-up the proceeds before the land is usurped while renting properties becomes a source of income and also ensures that they are maintained.

News Source : BS