Tourism ministry plans '100 days of action' to mark 100th episode of PM's 'Mann ki Baat'

From a pan-India design challenge for entrepreneurs to develop substitutes for single-use plastic items to the visit of youths to lighthouses, the Union Ministry of Tourism has planned "100 days of action" to mark the 100th episode of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Mann ki Baat" radio broadcast.

The episode is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday.

The ministry will celebrate the 100th episode through its Yuva Tourism Clubs, officials said on Saturday.

Modi has mentioned tourism from time to time on "Mann ki Baat". In order to initiate a celebration of the 100th episode of the broadcast, the ministry proposes to undertake a special initiative of "100 Episodes of Mann ki Baat – 100 days of Action" through the Yuva Tourism Clubs, it said in a statement.

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The ministry has constituted 30,000 Yuva Tourism Clubs till date, it said, adding that it proposes to increase the number to 50,000 in the 100 days starting May 1.

The establishment of Yuva Tourism Clubs was initiated in schools, colleges and Indian Hotel Management institutions in connection with the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

These clubs seek to nurture and develop young ambassadors of Indian tourism who would become aware of tourism possibilities in India, appreciate the country's rich cultural heritage and develop an interest and passion for the sector. These young ambassadors would be catalysts for promoting tourism in India, officials said.

The ministry proposes to organise several initiatives and activities through the Yuva Tourism Clubs as the students of today will be the entrepreneurs and citizens of tomorrow, they said.

Some of the activities to celebrate the 100th "Mann ki Baat" episode include live events through videoconferencing with Yuva Tourism Clubs on spreading the message of the LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) mission of the prime minister and the initiation of a design challenge for entrepreneurs across India for developing substitutes for single-use plastic items used while travelling, the ministry said.

Also, youths under Yuva Tourism Clubs in coastal areas will visit 71 lighthouses that Modi mentioned in his "Mann ki Baat" episode of March 2021, among many other initiatives, it said.

The prime minister has mentioned in "Mann ki Baat" from time to time about sustainability. To make future hotel and tourism managers aware about sustainability, all Indian Hotel Management institutions will conduct a design challenge for designing substitutes for items of cutlery and crockery made of single-use plastic, the statement said.

In order to further take forward sustainability activities, all Indian Hotel Management institutions will incorporate climate resilience in their buildings for which the ministry will coordinate with the Union Ministry of Renewable Energy for rooftop solar panels, the Union Ministry of Water Resources for rainwater harvesting, etc, and other such interventions, it added.