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@article{194522,
        author = {Rajesh Kumar Saini and Dr. D. C. Gehlot},
        title = {Policy evaluation of solid waste management rules(2016) in the context of religious tourism zones in Rajasthan},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {3945-3953},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=194522},
        abstract = {Rajasthan's prominent pilgrimage destinations - Pushkar, Ajmer Sharif, Nathdwara, Khatu Shyamji, Govind Devji, Jeen Mata Sakthi Peeth and Ranakpur Jain Temple collectively receive millions of visitors annually, generating substantial solid waste loads that municipal bodies lack the capacity to manage effectively. Despite the Solid Waste Management Rules (2016), notified by India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, providing a comprehensive regulatory framework, their implementation at religious tourism zones remains poorly examined in the literature. This study undertakes a policy evaluation of the SWM Rules (2016) as applied to these destinations, drawing on secondary data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, National Green Tribunal orders, and published academic sources. Findings reveal consistent compliance deficits in source segregation, door to door collection, scientific waste processing, Extended Producer Responsibility, and user-fee mechanisms across all sites studied. Benchmarking against Tirupati and Shirdi two comparatively better-managed pilgrimage towns exposes structural barriers rooted in institutional fragmentation, fiscal constraints, infrastructural gaps, and low behavioral compliance among waste generators. The study contributes to the environmental governance literature by documenting implementation failure at the intersection of religious tourism and urban waste management, and offers evidence-based policy recommendations to strengthen regulatory compliance and accountability at Rajasthan's religious tourism destinations.},
        keywords = {Solid Waste Management Rules (2016), Religious Tourism, Environmental Governance, Waste Management Compliance, Pilgrimage Destinations, Institutional Fragmentation, Sustainable Tourism.},
        month = {March},
        }