India News
Activities Planned Across Country To Promote Adventure Travel in Year of Adventure Tourism – 2018

With the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) announcing 2018 as the “The Year of Adventure Tourism”, the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) will spearhead various activities across the country to promote adventure travel to celebrate the year of adventure tourism.
ATOAI is aiming to have a series of events, roadshows in India and overseas, FAM trips for international adventure tour operators as well as travel media to mark the celebrations. “The goal is to double the adventure travel in the country in the next two years,” said Capt. Swadesh Kumar, President, ATOAI.
ATOAI has already given a wish list to MoT which includes the “India Adventure Summit” in April 2018:
1.India Adventure Summit in April 2018
2.ATTA- AdventureNext in Panchmarhi, Madhya Pradesh in December, 2018
3.Planning to bid for PATA Adventure Travel Mart and Conference in India for February 2019 in Assam
The association has adopted two trails; Stok Kangri and the ascent trail to Base Camp and Gangotri Temple and trail to Gaumukh, as a part of their contribution towards Himalayan sites for cleaning and maintaining. ATOAI is also working towards increasing its membership across the country from the present strength of 450 to 2,000 by the end of 2018.
It has prepared a version II of the Safety Guidelines for adventure tourism which MoT has circulated across all the states. A meeting was held on December 27, 2017, where these guidelines were shared and discussed with the representatives of all Indian states. MoT has given them two weeks to come back with any changes or additions, after which the guidelines will be implemented across all Indian states.
States like Tamil Nadu, whose presence in the adventure tourism map of India, is comparatively low, are expected to witness a surge in adventure tourists due to increasing opportunities and harness the growth potential enabling themselves as adventure tourism destinations.
Most of the domestic adventure tourists in the north, east and north-east zone states spent around INR 20,000 to INR 30,000 per head per trip for adventure packages while those in the south zone and west zone states spent around INR 10,000 to INR 20,000 per person per trip for adventure packages. Foreign adventure tourists spent less than USD 4,000 per head per trip for adventure packages.
Meanwhile, the market for travel and tourism in India is forecasted to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of around 7.23 pc during 2016-2021, on account of increasing trend of medical, wellness and adventure tourism in the country and rising number of online bookings due to growing smartphone and internet penetration.
India News
PM Modi says hat-trick victories guarantee 2024 hat-trick
Narendra Modi claimed that dissatisfaction among youth over paper leak and recruitment scam led to ouster the governments of Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan.

After the BJP’s sweeping victories in the assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the victory is of a self-reliant India, honest, transparency and good governance. Hailing that this hat-trick of victories has given guarantee for a 2024 hat-trick, he said that voters do not believe talk in thin air, false promises and rather support a concrete roadmap for development and good governance.
Referring to the Congress demand for a caste census, PM Modi said that some people tried to divide the country on caste lines during the elections. He added that for him there are only four castes namely women, youth, farmers and poor whose empowerment can strengthen the country. He stated that the people from all castes, regions, communities voted for the party and that every poor person feels that he has won.
ELECTION 2023 COVERAGE: Madhya Pradesh | Rajasthan | Chhattisgarh | Telangana
Addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the women, mentioning that women believe only BJP can provide guarantee for their security, safety and dignity. He remarked that women empowerment is an important pillar of BJP’s model of development. He also assured the women that all the promises will be fulfilled.
Referring to Congress’s defeat, Narendra Modi claimed that dissatisfaction among youth over paper leak and recruitment scam led to the ouster of the governments of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. He mentioned that be it in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Telangana, the incumbent party was thrown out of power because it was against the youth and had scams in its tenure. Especially thanking the people of Telangana, he said that the BJP will leave no stone unturned in working for them.
Modi underlined that the BJP government not only makes policies but also ensures that they reach the rightful beneficiaries. He further stated that these victories are a clear warning to those who are not ashamed to stand with the corrupt and try to cover up their deeds.
Slamming the opposition alliance INDIA, the Prime Minister asserted that coming together can yield good photo opportunities and media headlines but cannot win people’s trust. He also requested Congress and its allies to not indulge in politics that empower the anti-national forces.
India News
Welfarism beats the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan
Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched several schemes for women including cash incentives and even delivered two tranches of Rs 3000 each on Rakhi and Karwa Chauth to married women.

By Neeraj Mishra
In one giant swoop, the BJP has cornered entire Western and Central India with its latest victories in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. The party now controls the entire cow belt giving it the right platform for 2024.
While Rajasthan was iffy for the Congress, it was overconfident in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where a combination of weak and divided local leadership and women voters eventually brought it down. It has lost Madhya Pradesh 65-164 and Chhattisgarh 34-56.
ELECTION 2023 COVERAGE: Madhya Pradesh | Rajasthan | Chhattisgarh | Telangana
In many ways, these were elections driven by labarthis (beneficiaries) and the BJP proved itself with better planning, strategy and implementation. In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched several schemes for women including cash incentives and even delivered two tranches of Rs 3000 each on Rakhi and Karwa Chauth to married women.
In Chhattisgarh, where the BJP was in the opposition, it adopted a better strategy by promising Rs 12,000 per annum to married women and later getting them to sign some forms which made the signatories believe they would receive the promised benefit later. BJP workers got more than 30 lakh forms signed and in a state with more women voters than men, it surely means something.
In MP, an overconfident Congress made a mess of ticket distribution. Digvijaya Singh grabbed the largest share and brought in all his 90s cabinet. Eventually, they all lost. It is perhaps time to get rid of Digvijaya and Kamal Nath altogether just like Uma Bharti was ex-communicated from the state by the BJP in 2007 after Shivraj became CM. It paved way for the new.
The loss in both states will hurt the party not only in the three states but its ramifications will be felt at national level with INDIA and other alliances.
India News
Rajasthan election result: Despite his confidence, Ashok Gehlot fails to break anti-incumbency jinx
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the people of the state have rejected the Congress misgovernance and accepted the BJP’s suraaj.

The victory of the BJP in Rajasthan underlines the fickleness of the voter despite being a recipient of several welfare schemes introduced during Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s tenure. The BJP is set to win 115 seats compared to the Congress’ 69 ending Gehlot’s efforts to overturn the state’s 30-year record of not re-electing the incumbent government.
Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said the people of the state have rejected the Congress misgovernance and accepted the BJP’s suraaj. She said that the people will also vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to serve them in 2024. She said the party’s victory in Rajasthan was also because of the leadership given by BJP president JP Nadda and party workers.
ELECTION 2023 COVERAGE: Madhya Pradesh | Chhattisgarh | Telangana
Raje prayed in the temples of the state ahead of the results. The BJP has not named a CM candidate during the campaign. Now, the party has to decide who will be the chief minister. Raje, who won from the Jhalrapatan seat, is a frontrunner but given the cold vibes between her and PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, speculation has been rampant pitching other names including Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The election, however, was won by PM Modi’s intense campaigning in the state despite its history of anti-incumbency. The key topics that won the voters over include the law and order situation in the state. These include crimes against women and the murder of an Udaipur tailor over the much-flayed comments against Prophet Muhammad.
Exit polls were split over the results in the state. Some gave the Congress an edge however slight, while others gave it to the BJP.
Within the Congress, Gehlot had overcome the internal challenge posed by former Deputy CM Sachin Pilot and unveiled welfare schemes for many sections of voters, including a significant health plan. Despite all his efforts, Gehlot had to eat humble pie after persistent claims that his party would return to power and break the jinx, which stuck to being a jinx.
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