Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Participates in ‘Uttarakhand 2025: A Festival of Adventure, Spirituality and Unique Culture’ in Dehradun

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday attended the “Uttarakhand 2025: A Festival of Adventure, Spirituality and Unique Culture” event organized by the Tourism Department at the Himalayan Cultural Centre, Garhi Cantt, Dehradun.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister unveiled the logo of the upcoming ultra-marathon race to be held in Niti and released the Tourism Department’s newly prepared coffee table book titled Throne of the Gods. He also felicitated the winners of a photography exhibition competition and presented awards to outstanding homestay operators from 13 districts. Additionally, astro-tour guides and tour managers from across the state were honored.

The Chief Minister also felicitated mountaineers selected by the Tourism Department and the 13-member ITBP team that successfully scaled Kala Nag peak. Expressing gratitude to all departments, officials, and staff members, he said that due to everyone’s hard work, all events related to the state’s silver jubilee celebrations were conducted successfully. He said that in the 25 years since the formation of Uttarakhand, the young state has progressed rapidly — development that is the result of the sacrifices of the statehood movement activists.

The Chief Minister stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is working for the overall development of Uttarakhand. Infrastructure across key sectors such as tourism, education, health, drinking water, and connectivity is being strengthened. He said that where building roads once seemed impossible, All-Weather Roads are now being constructed. Areas where communication was once a distant dream are now part of a digitally empowered Uttarakhand.

He highlighted that new startups and self-employment initiatives are being launched in villages and homes. Many schemes of the Tourism Department are helping people move forward, while programs like the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Home Stay Scheme have helped thousands of youth become self-reliant. More than 8,000 young men and women have received training through tourism and hospitality skill development programs.

The Chief Minister said that training in fields such as tour guiding, naturalism, tour management, and street food vending is creating new employment opportunities for the youth. After the introduction of the new tourism policy, over 207 projects worth more than ₹5,500 crore are progressing in the state. To promote winter tourism, activities have been started in the Winter Char Dham circuit and high Himalayan regions like Jadung, Darma Valley, and the Panchachuli Base Camp.

He added that Uttarakhand is emerging as a major center for both pilgrimage and adventure tourism. From Chamoli to Tehri Lake, from Mussoorie to Munsiyari, new worlds of adventure are taking shape in every valley. Adventure sports such as paragliding, trekking, river rafting, and mountain biking are being promoted to create new opportunities for the youth.

Astro tourism, “Wed in Uttarakhand,” and spiritual destination development are giving a new direction to the state’s tourism sector. He recalled that on Sunday the Prime Minister said Uttarakhand’s strength lies in its spiritual energy. Religious destinations like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Haridwar, and Rishikesh are not only centers of Uttarakhand’s identity but also represent India’s collective faith and energy.

The Chief Minister said that initiatives such as the One District–Two Products scheme, House of Himalayas brand, State Millet Mission, Farm Machinery Bank, Apple Mission, New Tourism Policy, New Film Policy, Homestay program, Wed in Uttarakhand, and the Solar Self-Employment Scheme are strengthening the state’s local economy. In the last four and a half years, Uttarakhand has achieved numerous milestones recognized across the country.

He added that the state’s continuous progress in tourism has also been appreciated nationally and internationally. In 2023 and 2024, villages like Jakhola, Harshil, Supi, and Gunji were selected as Best Tourism Villages. In 2024–25, the International Centre for Responsible Tourism awarded Uttarakhand special recognition in the category of Skill Development in Responsible Tourism.

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized that to make India a developed nation by 2047, Uttarakhand must prepare its roadmap for the next 25 years. He expressed confidence that if every Uttarakhand resident contributes with dedication, integrity, and commitment, the state will certainly become a developed, self-reliant, and prosperous region.

District-level Best Homestay Award Recipients:

• Almora: Harendra Singh Bisht
• Bageshwar: Mohan Chandra Kandpal
• Chamoli: Sarita Devi
• Dehradun: Neelam Chauhan
• Haridwar: Sunita Singh
• Champawat: Neeraj Joshi
• Rudraprayag: Kailash Pushpawan
• Pauri: Tribhuwan Uniyal
• Pithoragarh: Mathura Dutt Kaloni
• Nainital: Umang Vasudev
• Tehri: Jitendra Singh
• Uttarkashi: Akhil Pant
• Udham Singh Nagar: Deepak Chaturvedi

MLA Khajan Das, MLA Savita Kapoor, BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi, Secretary Dheeraj Singh Gabryal, Additional Secretary Abhishek Ruhela and several others were present on the occasion.

Issued by: Information & Public Relations Department