Uttarakhand tourism down in last few years
It is a well-established fact that tourism is the spine of economy of Uttarakhand. But the picture is not rosy for the tourism stakeholders in the last few years. Corresponding with the country-wide trend, the northern state saw a decline in the number of tourists in last five years, both domestic and international. In 2017, 3.45 crore domestic tourists visited Uttarakhand which came down to 3.07 crore in 2021. Similarly, international tourist arrivals came down from 1.42 lakh in 2017 to 16,437 in 2021. In the last two years, tourism sector has been hit by the Covid pandemic, forcing many stakeholders to opt for other career options.
Raising awareness on forest rights
Despite over 71% geographical area of Uttarakhand falling in forest area, forest rights are a relatively neglected domain. An analysis by independent researchers Vandana Dhoop and Kundan Kumar asserts that the number of voters who can be benefited through recognition of CFR Rights by the virtue of residing in forested areas is at least 24 lakhs (based on the 2011 Census), which constitute 32% of the total registered voters in 2017 (76 lakhs) and 48% of actual votes cast (50 lakhs). “The implementation of the FRA can provide revenue of Rs 3,000-5,000 crore per year to the people of the villages, Van Panchayats more specifically. This can fuel the economy and kick start a cycle of prosperity for forest dwellers,” said Kundan Kumar, one of the writers of the analysis.
NGO, IIT-Roorkee to work for road safety
SaveLIFE Foundation (SLF) announced a MoU with IIT-Roorkee to expand effective implementation and measurement of road safety projects across India. The area of interests include implementation and impact assessment of SLF’s on-ground projects, collaborating on research studies, conducting knowledge sessions and training students and scholars in latest road safety practices. “As we scale up our Zero-Fatality Corridor model to dozens of highways, the collaboration with IIT-Roorkee will enable us to develop innovative solutions to road safety challenges and help develop more talent for a better and safer tomorrow,” said the NGO.
New age credit cards
Punjab National Bank and Patanjali Ayurved Limited have jointly launched co-branded contactless credit cards in partnership with the National Payments Corporation of India this week. The co-branded credit cards are offered on NPCI’s RuPay platform and are available in two variants -- PNB RuPay Platinum and PNB RuPay Select. These cards carry benefits and purchase-based waivers, including a hassle-free credit service to purchase day-to-day Patanjali products, along with cash backs, loyalty points, insurance cover, cashback at Patanjali Stores. The cards also come with insurance cover of `2 lakh and `10 lakh respectively for accidental death and personal total disability.
vineet upadhyay
Our correspondent in Dehradun vineet.upadhyay@newindianexpress.com