Maharaja Gaj Singhji joins ESOI as Honorary Member
The Ecotourism Society of India (ESOI) proudly welcomes Maharaja Gaj Singh ji, of Marwar, Jodphur, along with Dr. H.S. Pabla, IFS as Honorary Members of the Society. Together with long-standing Honorary Members Mr. Shilabhadra Banerjee, IAS (Retd.), and Mr. Sujit Banerjee, IAS (Retd.), both former Secretaries to the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Maharaja Gaj Singh ji and Dr. Pabla complement the circle of ESOI’s Honorary Members, as the guiding lights, strengthening its initiatives for spreading awareness and implementation of sustainable tourism practices.
Maharaja Gaj Singh ji, the Maharaja of Marwar, Jodhpur, is actively engaged in the preservation of traditional arts and crafts, and the conservation of the country’s natural and built heritage. Besides the conversion of his own Palaces into Hotels, and the Mehrangarh Fort into an internationally acclaimed museum, Maharaja Gaj Singh Ji has provided dynamic leadership to the innovative Heritage Hotel movement in India. He founded the WelcomeHeritage Chain of Hotels, and the Indian Heritage Hotels Association (IHHA).
He is on the Governing Council of the Indian National Trust for Art & Cultural Heritage (INTACH), besides being the Convenor of its Rajasthan Chapter. He has pioneered several Charitable Foundations contributing to architectural restoration and conservation in Rajasthan, to the education of girls, the environmental projects in rural areas, the medical care of weaker sections, and management of ancestral temples amongst others. His Bhaghirati Foundation is doing pioneering work in water conservation. He has also represented the country as Honourable Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago and has also been Chairman of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation.
Dr. H.S. Pabla, IFS, retired as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Madhya Pradesh in February 2012. He has been a strong votary of active wildlife management and has been advocating the use of wildlife tourism as a conservation tool. Post retirement from IFS, he was appointed as an advisor to the MP Ecotourism Development Board and is now a consultant on wildlife management on a World Bank funded project in Bangladesh.
Mr. Shilabhadra Banerjee, IAS (Retd.) an Andrah Pradesh cadre officer, served as a Director General of Acquisition in the Ministry of Defence and retired as Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in October 2008. Mr. Banerjee spearheaded the infrastructure upgradation at important tourist destinations in India and played a key role in articulating India’s response to climate change issues relating to the tourism sector. He is currently a Director on the Board of ITC Limited apart from several other assignments.
Mr. Sujit Banerjee, IAS (Retd.), was Secretary of Tourism, Government of India between November 2008 and July 2010. An UP cadre IAS officer, between 1972 and 2010 he held various posts within the government. Mr. Banerjee is currently holding the post of Secretary General at the World Travel and Tourism Council, India Initiative. He is also the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of World Heritage Matters, UNESCO India.
Founded in 2008, ESOI is the national body for Responsible Tourism. Representing the interests of eco-friendly tourism stakeholders from public and private sectors across India, ESOI is primarily engaged in advocacy for tourism service providers and visitors respectively, in facilitation of the formulation and implementation of tourism policies at national, state and local levels, and in helping stakeholders with sustainable tourism certification. Please visit www.ecotoruismsocietyofindia.org for more information about ESOI activities and membership.