New Delhi: Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma, who took charge yesterday, said that the government would introduce secured taxi services and integrate India’s natural beauty and rich cultural history into the sector to reap benefits.
In a formal interaction with the media, Sharma, who has also been given the charge of minister of state for civil aviation, said that the three departments are interlinked and the responsibility has been entrusted on him with a “clear vision” and “mandate”.
“Culture is the brand ambassador of India and we should remember that India has many things that the world doesn’t have,” Sharma said.
“The focus would not be only on the international tourists, as the first priority would be to introduce our youngsters to the Indian beauty. They like going to Thailand first and then Manali,” he added.
When asked what measures the tourism ministry would be taking to avoid incidents like the recent robbing and killing of a Delhi-based Bengali couple in Dehradun, Sharma said “honest efforts” have to be made by the state and central governments to tackle such incidents.
“We are planning to have authorised taxi services for tourists wherein the cab will have a chip so that its movement can be tracked. It would be done in phases and first we would implement this at a few airports so that commuters can travel safely to reach their destination,” he said.
IANS
