Uttarakhand CM reviews 'game changer shemes' for tourism development

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 15 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday conducted a virtual review of the 'Game Changer Schemes' of the Tourism Department, in which a detailed review of the private investment being made in the state under Tourism Policy-2023, programs promoting rural tourism and various schemes related to self-employment was done.
During the review, the Chief Minister directed that a detailed account of the total private investment made after the implementation of the Tourism Policy, the status of MoUs and their grounding and the investments made in various tourism schemes should be presented. He said that tourism is not only a means of increasing the number of tourists, but also of economic empowerment, local employment generation and stopping migration, a release said.
The Chief Minister called for special efforts to promote winter tourism and strengthen the facilities for the passengers. He clarified that the future of the state lies in tourism-based inclusive development, which the government is taking forward on priority.
Dhami said there should be focus on developing new tourist destinations along with assessing the carrying capacity of all major tourist spots including Mussoorie and Nainital.
He called for speeding up the implementation of 'Tracking Traction Centre Home-Stay Grant Scheme' to connect more and more local families in the mountainous areas with home stays, ensure technical and financial assistance and promote self-employment near the trekking routes.
He also reviewed the 'Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Tourism Self-Employment Scheme' and directed to provide loans and grants to the youth in a timely manner. The Chief Minister also said that it is necessary to evaluate the youth inspired by the scheme, the villages connected with the home stays and the reduction in migration.
The Chief Minister also directed to start work under the master plan of 'Golju Corridor' (Almora, Champawat, Ghorakhal) and to develop the religious places of Rudraprayag as an integrated tourist circuit, and emphasized on preparing a plan for regular operation of activities like mountain biking, paragliding, aero sports, river rafting, proposing special budget for publicity and assessing the carrying capacity of the sites.
Dhami gave directions for running a special campaign to identify and promote potential sites to promote wedding tourism. To realize the concept of 'Spiritual Economic Zone', he called for submiting an action plan within a month to develop Gangotri and Dhyanotthan area as wellness and spiritual hubs.
He said that 'Game Changer Schemes' are not only promoting tourism but also economically empowering the citizens of the state, especially women and youth. He directed for effective implementation of all schemes, transparent distribution of grants and converting the received investment into ground benefits. Emphasis was also laid on preparing a strategy for expansion of 'Vibrant Village Scheme' in border areas and developing theme-based 'Tourism Village' at the Panchayat level.
During the review, the Chief Minister was informed that under the 'Deen Dayal Upadhyay Griha Awas Yojana', a grant of about Rs 50 crore has been given to 1085 beneficiaries so far and 5331 home stays have been registered. While a target has been set to add 245 new homestays in the year 2025-26. The scheme has got special success in Tehri, Nainital and Chamoli districts. Similarly, 584 local beneficiaries have been added in 115 villages through 'Tracking Traction Scheme' and 18 tracking centers have been developed. Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh have been its major beneficiary areas.
It was told in the meeting that 'Tourism Entrepreneur Incentive Scheme' has been implemented to attract high value projects of more than Rs 5 crore in the state and to support local investors from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. So far 909 applications have been registered under the single window system, out of which 70 percent investors are with less than Rs 5 crore.
Tourism Minister Satpal Maharaj, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, and other officials were present in the meeting. (ANI)