World Tourism Day celebrations held with Vice President as Chief Guest
By Our Staff Reporter
New Delhi, 27 Sep: World Tourism Day celebrations were held here today with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar as the Chief Guest. This programme was organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism at the Vigyan Bhavan. Jakhol, Supi, Harshil and Gunji villages from Uttarakhand won Best Tourism Village Awards in various categories. The awards were received by the pradhans of these villages of Uttarakhand at the award distribution ceremony.
Jakhol village of Uttarkashi district has been selected for adventure tourism in the Best Tourism Village competition this year. It may be recalled that Jakhol village is known for its altitude, abundant natural beauty and exquisite landscape, as well as for its challenging trekking routes. This village is becoming increasingly popular among adventure enthusiasts.
At the same time, Harshil village, also of Uttarkashi district, and Gunji village of Pithoragarh district, have been honoured as Vibrant Villages. It may be recalled that Harshil is famous for its abundant natural beauty, snow-capped mountains and its apple orchards. It is one of the most popular halts on the way to Gangotri. Gunji village in district Pithoragarh is located near the Tibet and Nepal border. It holds a special place due to its strategic and cultural importance. In these villages, a confluence of local culture and modernity can be seen.
Supi village of Bageshwar district has been awarded for agricultural tourism. Supi village is known for its traditional and organic agricultural practices and a rich cultural heritage. As part of promoting agricultural tourism, efforts are being made to connect tourists with rural life and farming, so that the rural economy can also be strengthened.
It is worth noting that the Best Tourist Village Competition is organised at the national level every year by the Ministry of Tourism of Government of India. Conservation of culture and natural resources, promotion of community-based values and lifestyle and commitment towards economic, social and environmental sustainability are the basic parameters which are considered while judging the winners. Entries are invited from the states on these subjects. This year, four villages of Uttarakhand have been selected on the basis of entries.
On this occasion, Uttarakhand’s Tourism Secretary Sachin Kurve, Additional Director, Tourism, and Nodal Officer Poonam Chand and the pradhans and representatives of the four selected villages, including pradhan of Harshil, Dinesh Singh, pradhan of Supi village, Prema Devi, pradhan of Jakhol village, Vinod Kumar, and Village Representative of Gunji, Krish Gunjyal, etc., were among those present.
Matter of pride for state to win tourism awards: Dhami
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 27 Sep: Reacting to the news of four villages of Uttarakhand winning awards from the Centre on the occasion of World Tourism Day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami noted that it is a matter of great pride for Uttarakhand that Jakhol, Supi, Harshil and Gunji have received the Best Tourism Village Awards.
Dhami claimed that the state government is fully committed to promoting tourism in the state. The state government’s Home Stay Scheme is proving to be very effective in this regard. Apart from this, the government is also promoting adventure tourism activities in the state along with developing new tourist destinations. This is also helping in generating employment in the state, he claimed.
The CM reminded that PM Narendra Modi had described the third decade of the 21st century as that of Uttarakhand while he was in Kedarnath. He also claimed that the state government is doing the best possible work in every field by following the path shown by the PM. With the cooperation of the public, positive results are evident in every field in the state. He highlighted that unemployment has come down by 4.4 percent. Uttarakhand has come first in the ranking of Sustainable Development Goals released by NITI Aayog.
The CM asserted that the state government has set an example by implementing strict anti-cheating laws for examinations. As a result of this, the state government has succeeded in filling more than seventeen thousand posts with complete transparency in the recent past. The Chief Minister said that work is also being done at a fast pace to implement the Uniform Civil Code.
