An Interview with Ms. Mugdha Sinha
Managing Director, India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism
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Ms. Mugdha Sinha, IAS, is the Managing Director of India Tourism Development Corporation Ltd. (ITDC), Ministry of Tourism.
Previously, she served as the Director General of Tourism in the Ministry of Tourism, the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, heading the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) division and several culture–tourism initiatives, the Managing Director of RIICO (Rajasthan State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation), and the head of Rajasthan’s DMIC (Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor) unit.
Her administrative experience spans Food and Consumer Affairs, Science and Technology, and public policy. In her early career, she served as the District Collector in Sri Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Hanumangarh, and Bundi.
She studied at Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. A published poet, she is also known for her deep engagement with literature and the arts.
In this conversation with The Policy Edge team, Ms. Mugdha Sinha reflects on the lessons that shaped her as an administrator, the balance between authenticity and efficiency in governance, and why India’s cultural and creative sectors could drive the country’s next phase of development and global influence.
How did your time at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy and early postings shape your instincts as an administrator? What role did your early mentors play in building that ground?
The academy taught frameworks; my first posting in Udaipur showed me how to apply them.. As a district trainee, I had an exacting yet affectionate mentor who left no stone unturned in grooming me. He imparted not just knowledge but the practical skills that built my domain expertise and confidence in crisis management. Looking back, those months taught me something simple but lasting: governance begins with observation. When ideas meet observation, they mature into practical judgment, an early lesson that never fades.
Once, when I asked about the good qualities of a civil servant, the replies I received were telling: “outgoing, dynamic, resourceful” for men; “sincere, hardworking, obedient” for women. It became a quiet reminder of how old norms still shape perception. I chose to stay my authentic self , and over time, that consistency began to shift perceptions.
Those first few months shaped my outlook more than any manual could. They taught me that administration is not about certainty, about attentiveness – keeping your ears to the ground, adapting, and never assuming you’ve finished learning.
All four of your district postings seem to have been law-and-order–heavy charges. What made that period such a turning point?
Bundi was a profound experience – politically prime, administratively demanding, and culturally layered. It was a mining hub marked by inter-caste tensions and communal flashpoints. Establishing peace meant working on three fronts at once: community, politics, and law. During one such incident, I led from the front – coordinating with officials, victims, and community leaders to ensure the situation diffused rather than became political theatre. Timing mattered. I requested the government to defer political visits until calm returned. They agreed, and order followed.
In Hanumangarh, I arrived in the aftermath of the arms licensing episode and a farmers’ agitation, and was able to restore both peace and governance. In Jhunjhunu, taking a firm stand against illegal mining led to my transfer – yet the people rallied against it, and the closure order I had passed for the mine remained in force until the Supreme Court.
Sri Ganganagar, a prime agricultural district with stark disparities, was another complex posting – prone to caste, communal, and criminal tensions. There, I confronted the gas and fodder mafia. The same rulebook, I realised, can yield very different outcomes depending on local rhythm and temperament. Listening to those rhythms is how administration becomes empathy in action.
All of this reaffirmed something I still believe: leadership rests on integrity and trust. Stability follows intent; people trust authority when they sense fairness – and they connect behind it.
You have spent long years in Culture and Tourism – departments some see as ‘soft.’ Why do you consider them the next engines of development?
They are anything but soft. Development isn’t only about physical infrastructure; it’s also about how people experience progress – how it shapes their identity and prosperity. India’s greatest strength lies in its lived culture – our history, languages, art, and diversity. Culture forms what I call our “cognitive infrastructure”.
Tourism rides pillion on these cultural assets. While India has built robust physical and equally strong digital infrastructure, it’s time to grow assets from ideas and build business models based on licensing and royalties from the intellectual property embedded in our traditional knowledge systems.
The opportunity now is to design frameworks that turn the intangible into a commercial, revenue-generating asset. The world is transitioning from tangible heritage assets to intangible cultural and intellectual assets that drive new tourism models. This is also what our Hon’ble Prime Minister says: “Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi.”
With stronger investment in these creative skills and in intellectual property, the culture and tourism sectors together could evolve into a $3-trillion opportunity by 2047, employing over 100 million people.
Having seen both heritage districts and the environmental pressures of tourism hubs, how do you see climate awareness and cultural stewardship coming together in policy?
The recent floods and landslides remind us that nature and culture are not separate; they form a single continuum. Tourism policy must therefore integrate ecology with economy, treating sustainability as intrinsic, not an add-on. Tourism’s success has also revealed its ecological footprint, linking cultural growth to climate responsibility. We need to move beyond counting footfalls and start measuring impact.
Heritage restoration should use low-carbon materials; destination planning must respect carrying capacity; incentives should reward conservation. We also need an intergenerational lens – recognising what different age groups seek: authenticity, sustainability, and responsible tourism practices. At the same time, India must stay both price-competitive and skill-intensive.
Overcrowding will soon test tourism everywhere. France already caps visitors at the Louvre; Japan has introduced passes for Mt Fuji; Spain is grappling with the backlash against overtourism. India can turn that challenge into an advantage through smarter, tech-led visitor management that balances travellers’ aspirations with community well-being.
If we get this balance right, tourism could become India’s sustainability testbed – a sector that proves economic ambition and environmental ethics can thrive together.
You now lead ITDC at a time when governance spans code and culture, infrastructure and imagination. What kind of institutional mindset will make the Indian state adaptive in the next decade?
The next phase of governance will demand coherence between ideas and institutions. Alongside physical infrastructure, we need intellectual, ethical, and imaginative public frameworks. In tourism, culture, or data, the real question is no longer what worked, but what must evolve next.
Collaboration will define this shift. Public–private partnerships built our roads and airports; the next frontier lies in partnerships around knowledge, design, and technology. We need smarter contracting and procurement models that turn creativity into shared value and personalised service aligned with global standards.
Technology will accelerate this evolution. AI, 3-D printing, and emerging tools expand what governance can achieve – if anchored in human judgment. Used wisely, they can strengthen craftsmanship, bridging traditional skill with modern technique.
Disruption is constant, but adaptability can be continuous too. Governance that lasts stays open to redesign, reskilling, and renewal – keeping both the state and its public servants alive to their purpose.
For young entrants joining faster, more visible civil services than the one you entered, what habits or virtues will matter most – both for effectiveness and endurance?
Sardar Patel called anonymity the virtue of the services, and I believe he was right. We don’t know who designed Harappa or Khajuraho, yet their work defines us. That spirit of collective creation keeps India timeless.
To aspiring officers, I’d say: invest in knowledge, listen deeply, and stay curious. Visibility fades; domain understanding endures. Efficiency matters, but so does integrity – it gives governance its moral standing, its Iqbal. Moreover, while ethics matter, so do aesthetics and authenticity – the sincerity of how citizens experience governance.
The task ahead is to balance tradition and transformation – to offer the authentic taste of India with service standards that meet global benchmarks, leaving a lasting aftertaste. When you can anticipate without imitation, you don’t react to the future – you help shape it. That quiet adaptability, more than visibility, will define public service in the years ahead.
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