MP to develop special force for safety of foreign tourists

In wake of the alleged gangrape of a Swiss woman in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district recently, the state government has decided to constitute a special police force for the safety and security of foreign tourists.
"We will constitute a Special Force for the safety and security of the foreign tourists visiting Madhya Pradesh and develop a mechanism to keep an information about them," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said addressing a function to launch the new advertisement 'Rang Hai' of the MP Tourism.
The government will also ensure proper care of the foreign tourists, Chouhan said.
Tourism has been accorded industry status in the state as it has a lot of employment generation potential, he said.

Also, budget hotels will be constructed at the tourist places in the state and for the purpose capital subsidy would be provided, he said.
Ten special tourism areas have been identified that are being developed at a fast pace to further tap the tourism potential of the state, he said.

Stating that MP has been attracting a lot of tourists, Chouhan said in 2006, a total of 1.10 crore tourists visited the state while in 2012 the number increased to 5.30 crore, which included 20 per cent rise in the number of foreign visitors.
The state has registered a growth of 30 per cent in tourism sector, Chouhan mentioned.

Tourism Minister Brajendra Pratap Singh said on the occasion that the state has bagged two national-level awards in the tourism sector this year.
Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) Chairman Mohan Yadav, Principal Secretary Tourism SPS Parihar and MPTDC Managing Director Raghvendra Singh, among others were present on the occasion.