New tourism initiative: Homemakers as guides

Even as the Centre proposes policies to downsize the bureaucracy, the latter finds ways of springing back in full force. This time, the bureaucracy has found ways of employing ‘‘idle wives’’ of service officers going by the scheme to be launched by the Tourism Ministry on Friday.

‘‘Project Priyadarshini,’’ an initiative of the Tourism Ministry, is an endeavour to bring women into the core area of the service sector, and take advantage of the tourism boom in the country. Addressing a press conference here today, Tourism Secretary A S Mishra outlined the projects where women could be employed—from driving taxis to running a taxi service, restaurants, information and facilitation kiosks, cafeterias. Mishra said the Tourism Ministry would welcome wives of service officers with special skills like knowledge of foreign languages to act as ‘‘premium guides’’.

So even as the ministry’s training programme for tourist guides languishes, it has decided to co-opt women to act as special guides for high-end visitors ‘‘for tours as well as shopping.’’ Says Mishra: ‘‘Many serving and retired officers’ wives, especially those who have served abroad, know foreign languages which are required here. Our tourist guides are not proficient in foreign languages and it would help to have these wives to take care of our premium visitors.’’ He also added that anyone else with similar qualifications are also welcome to apply.

With Project Priyadarshini, the Tourism Ministry will also facilitate self-employment for women under various schemes of the Ministry of Urban Development and also Poverty Alleviation.