CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday virtually reviewed the ‘Game Changer Schemes’ of the Tourism Department. In which a detailed review was done of the private investment being made in the state under the Tourism Policy-2023, programs to promote rural tourism and various schemes related to self-employment. During the review, the Chief Minister directed that the details of total private investment made after the implementation of the Tourism Policy, status of M.O.Y. and their grounding and investment in various tourism schemes should be presented.
CM Pushkar Singh said that tourism is not only a means of increasing the number of tourists but also a means of economic empowerment, creating local employment and preventing migration. The Chief Minister directed to make special efforts to promote winter tourism and strengthen the facilities for the passengers. He made it clear that the future of the state lies in tourism-based inclusive development, which the government is pursuing on priority. The Chief Minister asked to assess the carrying capacity of all major tourist spots including Mussoorie and Nainital and focus on developing new tourist destinations. The Chief Minister directed to expedite the implementation of ‘Trekking Traction Centre Homestay Grant Scheme “to connect more and more local families in hilly areas with homestays, ensure technical and financial assistance and promote self-employment near trekking routes.
He also reviewed the ‘Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Paryatan Swarojgar Yojana’ and directed to provide loans and grants to the youth in a time-bound manner. The Chief Minister also said that it is necessary to evaluate the youth inspired by the scheme, the villages associated with homestays and the decrease in migration.
CM Pushkar Singh also directed to start work under the master plan of ‘Golju Corridor’ (Almora, Champawat, Ghodakhal) and to develop the religious places of Rudraprayag as an integrated tourist circuit, while emphasizing on preparing a plan for regular operation of activities like mountain biking, paragliding, aerosports, river rafting, proposing a special budget for publicity and assessing the carrying capacity of the places.
The Chief Minister directed to launch a special campaign to identify and promote potential destinations to promote wedding tourism. To realize the concept of ‘Spiritual Economic Zone’, he asked to submit an action plan in a month to develop Gangotri and Dhyanotthan area as wellness and spiritual hub. CM Pushkar Singh said that the ‘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 disbursement of grants and conversion of received investments into on-ground benefits. Emphasis was also laid on formulating a strategy for expansion of ‘Vibrant Village Scheme’ in border areas and developing theme-based ‘Tourism Villages’ at Panchayat level.
During the review, CM Pushkar Singh was apprised that under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Griha Awas Yojana, so far 1085 beneficiaries have been given grants of about Rs 50 crore and 5331 homestays have been registered. The target is to add 245 new homestays by 202526. The scheme has been particularly successful in Tehri, Nainital and Chamoli districts. Similarly, 584 local beneficiaries have been connected in 115 villages through Tracking Traction Scheme and 18 tracking centres have been developed. Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh have been the major beneficiary areas. It was informed in the meeting that ‘Tourism Entrepreneurship Promotion Scheme’ has been implemented in the state to attract high value projects of more than Rs 5 crore and support local investors from Rs 1 crore to Rs 5 crore. So far, 909 applications have been registered under the single window system, in which 70 per cent of the investors have less than Rs 5 crore. The meeting was attended by Tourism Minister Shri Satpal Maharaj, Chief Secretary Shri Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretaries Shri R.K. Sudhanshu, Shri Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary Tourism Shri Dheeraj Singh Gabrial, Uttarakhand Local Commissioner Shri Ajay Mishra and other officials. Department of Information and Public Relations