Mandi hotels, homestays to get ‘Green Leaf’ ratings

Mandi, July 7

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has initiated a voluntary cleanliness rating system aimed at hotels, lodges, resorts and homestays in a bid to enhance hospitality standards while safeguarding the environment.

Mandi Additional Deputy Commissioner Rohit Rathour said the Cleanliness Green Leaf Rating (CGLR) would play a pivotal role in not only maintaining environmental cleanliness but also boosting tourism activities.

Chairing the inaugural meeting for the implementation of the CGLR system, he urged operators of hospitality facilities to actively participate in this initiative.

“The objective of the rating is to promote global standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the hospitality sector, preventing pollution in water bodies and ensuring overall environmental cleanliness,” Rathour added. Under this initiative, the Government of India, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, will assess hotels, resorts, homestays, lodges and dharamshalas based on their management of solid waste, human waste and greywater. They will be assigned one, three or five leaves based on their performance, with higher leaf ratings indicating superior cleanliness management.

According to Rathour, the voluntary rating system will have three phases — orientation, voluntary declaration and verification. The process will be overseen by district and sub-divisional committees, with the Project Officer of the District Rural Development Agency serving as the Member Secretary at the district level, and the Block Development Officer at the sub-divisional level. Key officials including DRDA Project Officer Mandi Gopi Chand Pathak, District Tourism Development Officer Manoj Kumar, Block Development Officers from various blocks, as well as representatives from hotels, homestays and other departments, attended the meeting to discuss the implementation framework.

The CGLR initiative aims not only to elevate hygiene standards within the hospitality sector but also to encourage sustainable practices that align with global environmental goals. This initiative is expected to make a significant impact on tourism by attracting environmentally-conscious travellers while ensuring the long-term preservation of natural resources.