New Delhi: Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the Rajya Sabha on Friday that as many as 15 states and Union Territories (UTs) have deployed dedicated Tourist Police to create a safer ecosystem for visitors.
Shekhawat said Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh have deployed Tourist Police to strengthen the on-ground safety mechanism for travellers and visitors.
Replying to a query from Chandrakant Handore, the Union Minister added that the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) commissioned a study on Tourist Police Scheme and formulated a comprehensive report for developing a comprehensive framework and uniform implementation of Tourist Police scheme across all states/UTs.
Shekhawat clarified that there has been no special financial packages/assistance provided by the Union Ministry to states and UTs for setting up dedicated Tourist Police units.
He said that the Ministry of Tourism through the Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) got a study conducted to understand the requirement of Tourist Police and sensitising the Tourist Police towards the needs of the tourists.
The study named “Functioning of Tourist Police in States/UTs and Documentation of Best Practices” was sent to all the states/UTs, he added.
A training module, as given by IITTM, was also forwarded to Ministry of Home Affairs, which was further circulated to the Chief Secretaries of all state governments and UT administrations, the Union Minister said.
He added that to create a safer ecosystem for the tourists, the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs and BPR&D, also organised a National Conference on Tourist Police Scheme of Director Generals (DGs)/Inspector Generals (IGs) of Police Department of all the states and UTs in New Delhi.
In his query, Handore had sought an update on the current status of the implementation of the Tourist Police Scheme across major tourist destinations in the country.
He also asked whether the Union government had established standardised training modules for these personnel regarding safety protocols, fraud prevention and foreign language proficiency.
(IANS)
