By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 4 Feb: Cabinet Minister Ganesh Joshi today flagged off Ankit Kumar Bharti of Uttarakhand who plans to hoist the Tricolour on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak of South Africa (5895 metres).
On this occasion, Joshi congratulated Ankit Kumar and felicitated him with a shawl. The expedition is to pay tribute to the late mountaineer Savita Kanswal, who was awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
Minister Ganesh Joshi said that mountaineer Ankit Kumar is an inspiration for the youth of the state.
Ankit Kumar revealed that earlier he completed his Basic Mountaineering course in 2019 and Advanced Mountaineering course in 2021 with A grade from Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. Presently, he is associated with Uttarakhand Athletics Association.
It is a particularly significant effort as, in 2022, a steel rod was inserted in Ankit Kumar’s hip. Despite this he has not given up mountaineering. Ankit said that the purpose of the campaign is to give a message to the youth of Uttarakhand and India that one should not fear to face adverse circumstances. He intends to the first from Uttarakhand with a metal rod implant and the first member of the Uttarakhand Athletics Association to complete the expedition.
Also present on this occasion were Secretary, Uttarakhand Athletics Association, KJS Kalsi, International Coach Gurphool Singh, Vice President Jitendra Singh Negi, Savindra Singh, National Coach Avtar Singh, etc.
