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Gujarat govt calls off the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit

Taking into account the surge in numbers of Covid19 cases in the state and across the country, the Gujarat government has decided to call off the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit (VGGS), an investors' conference of the state. The 10th edition of the VGGS was slated to take place in Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar from January 10 to 12. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, after reviewing the health situation in the state, has announced the decision to call off the event considering the Omicron outbreak. The much-anticipated investment meet was scheduled to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister of the country and representatives from more than 25 countries of the world were expected for the Global meet. The state had added over 3,000 new cases yesterday and the total number of Covid positive cases have crossed the 10,000 mark. The number of people tested with the Omicron variant is 50 so far in the state.

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FHRAI signs MoU with Jammu & Kashmir government to develop hospitality-related infrastructure in the UT

The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) to promote hospitality and related infrastructure in the Union Territory. This is the first time that a joint MoU has been signed between an association of hotels and restaurants and the government. The MoU was signed on December 27 at the Real Estate Summit 2021 jointly organized by the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), the Government of India, and the National Real Development Council (NAREDCO) at the Jammu Convention Centre. 39 MoUs were signed for the development of housing, hotel, and commercial projects. Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, Vice President, FHRAI represented the hospitality industry and India’s apex hospitality association at the event and signed the joint MoU for FHRAI. Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs graced the event which focused on providing an effective platform to showcase potential real estate investment opportunities and intensive discussions were held on the policy and regulatory framework. The summit also had the august presence of Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for PMO, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, GOI, and various dignitaries from the J&K tourism ministry, among others. “FHRAI is honoured to have received the opportunity to represent the hospitality industry. We thank the MoHUA, the J&K government, and NAREDCO for inviting us and signing the MoU to develop hospitality and related infrastructure in the region. J&K is a very promising venue with wonderful people and a hospitality-friendly ecosystem. With this MoU, we look forward to strengthening further, the public-private partnership in the region to leverage the enormous potential, the region has to offer for hospitality and tourism. We are hopeful that this will facilitate the J&K government providing land to FHRAI members for various projects and extending incentives and other benefits as per extant policies and rules. New developments in hospitality will give a strong push to economic growth through increased investments and will create more employment opportunities in the region,” commented Kohli on the occasion. At the event, Kohli also participated in a panel discussion titled, ‘Next Destination J&K: Tourism, Films & Entertainment, Logistics, Commercial, Warehousing’ where he along with the co-panellists stressed the need of promoting the region as an untapped destination for the growth in infrastructure, tourism, hospitality, and real estate. The panel discussion witnessed participation from Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Information Department, Government of J&K, Sarmed Hafez, Secretary- Tourism Department, Government of J&K, Anoo Malhotra, Director- I&C, Jammu, Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director- I&C, Jammu, Sanjay Sethi, MD & CEOChalet Hotels, Nitin Desai, Art Director & Producer, Rajesh Gupta, Executive Committee Member, LEAD, and Khair Ull Nissa, Executive Director, WTC, and WTCA Board Member.

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Pochampally to take centre stage at National Tourism Day event of Tourism Ministry

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India will hold a grand National Tourism Day event under the banner of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ at Pochampally in Telangana on January 25. As per the official information, the Ministry is planning grand celebrations at Pochampally, a handicraft village in Telangana that recently received recognition from the UNWTO as one of the best villages for tourism in India. As part of the National Tourism Day celebrations, the Ministry of Tourism will hold cultural performances, exhibitions on textiles of India, culinary and handicraft workshops, street performances, laser show, etc., at Pochampally. A weavers village, Pochampally is known for its Ikat sarees and handwoven fabrics. In a letter to the states, the Central Tourism Ministry has asked to complement the National Tourism Day celebrations happening in Pochampally by organising different events promoting rural and community tourism under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav banner in their respective states on January 25. The States Tourism departments have been asked to organise events highlighting freedom circuits, new tour packages, cultural performances around rural tourism and heritage sites, etc., with people’s involvement and participation. Meanwhile, State Tourism Boards have started preparations for the National Tourism Day celebrations. In Andhra Pradesh, a meeting chaired by S Satyanarayana, CEO, APTA, and MD, APTDC has decided to organise various events in all districts of the state to celebrate National Tourism Day.

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Karnataka issues new travel guidelines, mandates visitors from Goa to carry RT-PCR test on arrival

Taking strict measures to control the spread of the new Covid-19 variant, the Karnataka government has issued new travel guidelines for visitors coming to the state from Goa, who now have to necessarily carry a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours from the time of giving the sample and entering the state borders. Transit passengers via Goa are also required to follow the same protocols. In an official notification, the Principal Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka it is mentioned that the decision has been taken in view of the recent surge of Covid-19 cases in its neighboring state Goa and the new travel protocols are to be strictly followed. “Negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours shall be compulsorily produced by the passengers travelling on a flight, bus, train, or personal transport and entering Karnataka. This is also applicable for passengers boarding a connecting flight from Goa. The concerned airline shall issue boarding passes only to the passengers carrying the negative Covid-19 test report,” the order mentioned. The district authorities of the border areas have been asked to establish check posts and make arrangements to deploy the necessary staff to ensure that all vehicles entering Karnataka are checked for compliance with the new travel guidelines. For people travelling regularly between both the states, such as students have been asked to undergo RT-PCR test once in every 15 days and posses the negative reports of the same. In certain exemptions, the state government has said that healthcare professionals, constitutional functionaries, children below the age of 5 will be kept out of the ambit of the order. In an emergency situation, when someone has to travel without the negative RT-PCR report, due to a health issue or death in the family, the test will be conducted on arrival.

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PM Modi to lay foundation stone of Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, project to halve travel to both cities

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than INR 42,750 crore in Ferozepur, Punjab. One of the important projects to enhance the connectivity in the region, Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will see light day apart from four laning of Amritsar – Una section; Mukerian - Talwara New Broad Gauge railway line and other projects. Among one of the two major road corridors in Punjab, the 669-kilometerlong Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will be developed at a total cost of about INR 39,500 crore and once completed, it will halve travel time from Delhi to Amritsar and Delhi to Katra. The Greenfield Expressway will also connect key Sikh religious sites at Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran and the holy Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in Katra. The expressway will also connect key economic centres like Ambala, Chandigarh, Mohali, Sangrur, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Kathua and Samba in Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. The four-laning of Amritsar-Una section will be done at the cost of around INR 1700 crore. The 77-kilometre-long section is part of the larger Amritsar to Bhota corridor spanning across the longitudinal expanse of Northern Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, connecting four major national highways, namely Amritsar-Bhatinda-Jamnagar Economic Corridor, Delhi–Amritsar– Katra Expressway, North-South Corridor and Kangra-Hamirpur-BilaspurShimla Corridor. It will help in improving the connectivity of religious sites at Ghoman, Shri Hargobindpur and Pulpukta Town (home to the famous Gurudwara Pulpukta Sahib). The PM will also lay the foundation stone of a new Broad Gauge railway line between Mukerian and Talwara of around 27 Km in length, to be built at a cost of over INR 410 crore. The railway line will be an extension of Nangal Dam-Daulatpur Chowk railway section. It will provide an all - weathered means of transportation in the area. This project also holds strategic importance as it will serve as an alternative route to Jammu and Kashmir, joining the existing Jalandhar-Jammu Railway line at Mukerian. The project will prove especially beneficial for the people of Hoshiarpur in Punjab and Una in Himachal Pradesh. It will give a boost to tourism in the region and provide ease of connectivity to hill stations as well as to places of religious importance.

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New integrated terminal of Agartala Airport opened

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new Integrated Terminal Building of the Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) airport at Agartala, Tripura. The new integrated terminal is spread over 30,000 sqm and will have a capacity to handle 30 lakh passengers annually, against the earlier capacity of 13 lakh. The new Integrated Terminal building has been completed at a cost of INR 450 cr and with this the airport will be able to handle 1200 Peak Hour Passenger (PHP) and apron for six additional parking bays for A-321 type of aircrafts. In his address, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Civil Aviation Minister has said that the new development will add a new chapter to the glorious history of Tripura and will open new doors of development in the state and North East Region. Under the Krishi Udan2.0 scheme of the Central Government, 4500 kg of agricultural products have been exported in the month of November 2021, which includes pineapple and jackfruit of Tripura. Agartala Airport is one of the major airports in the North East region. It is capable of handling 4C type of Aircraft operations. Operators like Indigo, Air India, Flybig are presently operating 230 flights in a week, connecting Kolkata, Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Imphal, Shillong, Lengpui, Bengaluru and Delhi. Taking inspiration from the local culture, bamboo architecture is represented in the façade of the terminal building by way of a floral jaali pattern depicting the forests and greens of the region. Local tribal stone sculptures of the Unakoti Hills and local bamboo handicrafts have been extensively used in the interiors and the local culture and architecture have been depicted in the interiors of the building by means of artwork and sculptures.

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