Safe Tourism Destination for Women Project Propels Empowerment in Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has stepped decisively toward gender-responsive tourism by rolling out the Safe Tourism Destination for Women (STDW) project, a ₹44-crore programme financed through the Nirbhaya Fund and jointly steered by the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) and the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB). At a high-level review held on the Indore campus of the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), Minister of State for Women & Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur assessed progress alongside senior tourism officials and civil-society partners.

Why the Project Matters

• Madhya Pradesh attracts more than 90 million domestic tourists annually and is home to iconic sites such as the Khajuraho Group of Monuments, Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, Maheshwar Fort and the heritage city of Ujjain.

• A 2023 MWCD field study showed that 34 % of women travellers cited safety fears as the main deterrent to travelling alone or working in tourism-linked jobs.

• India’s Nirbhaya Fund—created after the 2012 Delhi incident—allocates dedicated resources for women’s safety infrastructure, skilling and community awareness; the STDW project is one of its flagship tourism interventions.

Geographic and Programmatic Scope

• 50 destinations across 33 districts have been mapped using a risk-vulnerability matrix that considered footfall, transport links and prior crime data.

• The project operates under the banner “Sankalp Surakshit Parytan Ka” and clusters activities into three verticals:

  • Infrastructure: high-resolution CCTV networks, well-lit pathways, SOS kiosks, gender-segregated sanitation blocks, and pink parking bays.

  • Skilling & Livelihoods: free courses in tourist guiding, culinary micro-enterprise, e-rickshaw driving, first-aid and digital marketing.

  • Sensitisation & Advocacy: bystander-intervention workshops, male-ally sessions, self-defence modules and multilingual safety campaigns on local FM channels.

Highlights from the Minister’s Field Visits

Community Partnerships Driving Change

Six Project Support Organisations (PSOs)—Aprajita Mahila Sangh, CARD, Byepaas, Sangini, Samarth and IGS—anchor local mobilisation. Together they have:

• enrolled 1,200 women in National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)-aligned courses;

• facilitated ₹6.8 crore in micro-credit via State Rural Livelihoods Mission;

• integrated Indian self-defence forms such as Kalaripayattu into training, complemented by modern Krav Maga drills;

• launched a Safe Stay certification for homestays meeting gender-sensitive standards.

Technology and Convergence Measures

• AI-enabled video analytics flag unusual crowd patterns and trigger alerts at district control rooms staffed by women constables.

• A single-touch multilingual app links 1091 women’s helpline, e-ticketing and GPS-based trip sharing.

• Convergence with the Transport, Home, Panchayat & Rural Development, and MSME departments ensures that security devices, policing and market linkages are budgeted into each district’s annual plan, improving long-term sustainability.

Early Impact Indicators (April 2024 – May 2025)

• Reported eve-teasing incidents at pilot sites down 46 % year-on-year.

• Average daily earnings of women service-providers up by ₹500–₹900, depending on trade.

• Tourist footfall at evening events in Omkareshwar and Maheshwar up 22 %, attributed to enhanced lighting and female guides.

• 63 % of surveyed travellers said they would “strongly recommend” the destinations to solo women visitors—up from 37 % in the baseline survey.

Next Steps

The Joint Monitoring Committee, co-chaired by MWCD and MPTB, has set Q3-2025 targets to:

1. Extend pink-patrol vehicles to all 50 destinations.

2. Certify 100 additional homestays under Safe Stay.

3. Scale the Sankalp campaign on OTT platforms and regional cinema halls before the festive season.

4. Roll out gender-audit scorecards for tour operators, ranking them on safety and inclusivity.

The Safe Tourism Destination for Women project is redefining travel in Madhya Pradesh—not merely by installing cameras or lights, but by enabling women to own the visitor experience as drivers, guides, entrepreneurs and storytellers. Minister Savitri Thakur’s on-ground review underscores a vision where safety and empowerment travel together, proving that a flourishing tourism economy can be the frontline of women’s economic independence.