Chief Secretary Calls for Grand Rajasthan Day Celebrations, Orders One-Day Cultural Chintan Camp

Jaipur, February 2026 : Chief Secretary V. Srinivas has directed that Rajasthan Day (March 19, 2026) be celebrated on a grand scale this year under the joint aegis of the Tourism Department and the Departments of Art, Literature & Culture and Archaeology. He emphasized providing a common platform to artists representing the state’s diverse art forms. He also instructed that a large-scale, one-day Chintan Shivir (brainstorming camp) focused on art and culture be organized in Jaipur.

The directions were issued during a review meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary at the Secretariat on Monday, attended by Additional Chief Secretary (Tourism and Art, Literature & Culture and Archaeology) Praveen Gupta and Tourism Commissioner Rukmani Riar.

Reviewing the Tourism Department’s performance at Rising Rajasthan, the Chief Secretary described tourism as economically vital and noted the department’s strong achievements over the past two years. He said Rajasthan Tourism enjoys good visibility on social media and highlighted the global appeal of the state’s art, literature, and culture. Encouraging officials, he said it is a matter of pride to work for Rajasthan Tourism and urged them to operate with renewed energy.

While reviewing the Art, Literature, Culture and Archaeology departments, he underscored the richness of Rajasthan’s cultural heritage and directed that each academy related to language, literature, and art organize at least one major event annually to take the state’s cultural wealth, literature, and glorious history to the masses. He reiterated the need to conserve and promote arts, culture, and literature and confirmed his participation in the proposed one-day Chintan Shivir in Jaipur.

The Chief Secretary also called for revitalizing art and literature institutions, expressed concern over the low number of book publications by academies, and directed the publication of works by leading Rajasthani authors—at least 15 prominent writers across varied themes. He noted that Rajasthan uniquely hosts institutions covering every dimension of art, literature, and culture and urged optimal utilization of these bodies to further promotion efforts.

He instructed comprehensive publicity for events at Ravindra Manch and Jawahar Kala Kendra and emphasized providing wider platforms and better opportunities for performing artists. He also ordered priority filling of vacant posts across the Tourism, Art, Literature & Culture, and Archaeology departments, including expedited promotions where applicable.

Tourism Commissioner Rukmani Riar informed the meeting that the State Tourism Policy 2025 and the Rajasthan Film Promotion Policy 2025 have been implemented. She noted that Rajasthan has nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has recorded a significant rise in domestic tourist arrivals this year. The department is performing strongly in tourism marketing; along with domestic promotion, foreign tourism is also being targeted. Rajasthan Tourism’s social media performance surpasses many states, with its YouTube channel ranking fourth nationally.

She also briefed the meeting on progress under budget announcements, strengthening of the Tourist Security Force, and increased induction of women personnel in the force.

The meeting was attended by senior officials and representatives from the departments and academies of art, literature, culture, archaeology, and tourism, including Anuradha Gogiya, Pankaj Dharendra, Ram Ratan Sharma, Chandrasen Shekhawat, Basant Singh Solanki, Bhupendra Kumar Yadav, Shruti Mishra, Sharad Kevaliya, T.C. Marwa, Lata Shrimali, Rajneesh Harsh, N.P. Singh, Gomti Sharma, and other concerned officers.