Delegates attending the inaugural session on water conservation at the annual caucus of overseas Indians here were surprised to find that the chief guest was Indian Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai.

That was no mistake. Although the minister did make the perfunctory tourism promotion statements, he also stressed that India's new policy would be equally intended to ensure that tourists do not squander the country's precious water resources.

He urged the Indian diaspora gathered here for the annual event known as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to build hotels that would focus on water conservation in equal measure as guest comfort.