Rajasthan

• 05 Apr 2024

Rajasthan Government Urged to Boost Destination Wedding Industry

Why in News?

According to the sources, the tourism industry in Rajasthan is looking to intensify efforts to grow the destination wedding market.

• Executives from the tourism industry said although Rajasthan hosts several royal weddings every year, the involvement of the tourism department seems to be lacking.

Key Points

• According to the Rajasthan Tourism Department, the state witnessed a remarkable increase in domestic tourism, with over 17.90 crore tourists visiting the desert state in 2023.
  • In 2023, Rajasthan welcomed nearly 18 crore domestic and 17 lakh foreign tourists, a significant increase from the figures in 2020, which were 1.51 crore domestic and 4.46 lakh foreign tourists.
  • The numbers also saw a rise from 2.19 crore domestic and 34,806 foreign tourists in 2021 to 10.83 crore domestic and 39,684 foreign tourists in 2022.
• Rajasthan has been a pioneer in evolving unique tourism products, be it the launch of the Palace on Wheels luxury train in 1982 or creation of the festival experience like Pushkar Fair or adaptive reuse of heritage properties as tourist destinations.
• The State granted the tourism sector the status of industry in 1989 and has since extended many fiscal incentives for the sector, beginning with the capital investment subsidy in 1993.

Rajasthan Tourism Policy, 2020

• Vision
  • To reposition Rajasthan as a preferred tourism destination for both domestic and international tourists by offering tourists a high quality experience.
  • Through responsible and sustainable policies ensuring conservation of natural, historical and cultural heritage of the State while simultaneously accelerating socio-economic development by improving livelihood opportunities for the local population.
• Objectives
  • Promote Rajasthan as a leading tourism brand in national and international markets.
  • Strengthen and diversify existing tourism products.
  • Provide innovative tourism products and services with focus on lesser known destinations especially in rural areas.
  • Improve the connectivity of tourist destinations through road, rail and air.
  • Expand tourist accommodation infrastructure.
  • Broad based promotion and marketing of tourism products.
  • Facilitate tourism specific skill development to create gainful self-employment.
  • Create suitable mechanisms to promote effective interdepartmental coordination.
  • Take steps to encourage private sector investment in the State.
  • To provide a safe and secure environment for tourists and in particular women travellers and also improve tourist grievance redressal systems.
  • To empower the department with suitable administrative structure for extending approvals for establishment of tourism units.
  • Market research and developing statistics grid development framework for better policy making and forecasting.

Solar Energy Project in Rajasthan

Why in News?

Recently, UltraTech Cement Ltd announced the completion of a 100-megawatt (MW) solar energy project under the Group Captive Scheme in Rajasthan.

• This is the company's first project to source power for its captive consumption from the inter-state transmission network.

Key Points

• Power from this project will be available to the company’s units in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha among others.
  • The company now has a capacity of 612 MW of renewable power and 278 MW of Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS).
    • WHRSs are revolutionary energy-saving power generation systems that recover and reuse energy from the main engine's exhaust gas.
• UltraTech Cement has committed to increasing its green power mix to 85% by 2030, and the project reaffirms its dedication to innovation, sustainability, and the pursuit of a brighter, cleaner future for all.

The Group Captive Scheme

• It is a Power purchase mechanism which involves individuals or groups establishing a power plant to buy electricity specifically for their own use.
• These captive users must collectively own a minimum of 26% of the power plant and consume a minimum of 51% of the generated electricity annually, based on their proportional ownership shares, with a variation not exceeding 10%.