CLEANLINESS NOW A MOVEMENT IN INDIA: JAVADEKAR

NEW DELHI: Films like ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ and 'Padman’ symbolise a changing India that is determined to achieve cleanliness, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said here on Tuesday, after presenting the ‘Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar’ awards to schools from various parts of the country. Cleanliness had now become a movement in which schools and students were playing a crucial role, he added. A total of 52 schools selected from among 6.5 lakh, including over 45,000 private schools, were presented the . “No one would have imagined that films like ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ and ‘Padman’ would be made and they would become popular. This is the picture of a changed India. This is our changed determination that we will achieve cleanliness,” Javadekar said during his address to the students and teachers from various states. The ministry had launched the ‘Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya’ (SBSV) initiative in 2014 to ensure that all the schools in the country had access to separate functional toilets for boys and girls.

Alphons hails India Tourism Mart as a grand success

NEW DELHI: The three-day India Tourism Mart, which concluded in Delhi on Tuesday, was a grand success and would help in achieving greater tourist inflow, tourism minister KJ Alphons said. The fest was organised by Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) in collaboration with the ministry of tourism. “Last year, the country crossed ten million mark in foreign tourist arrival but I am not happy with that. India has amazing tourist destinations and I want the figure to double in another three years. I think ITM will help achieve the target in a big way,” said Alphons. Inaugurated by the railways minister Piyush Goyal, tour operators from different parts of the country exchanged business proposals with their foreign counterparts during the event.