PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun The Uttarakhand government has started working on the idea given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on making Uttarakhand as the global capital of spiritualism. The government is planning to develop one Spiritual Economic Zone (SEZ) each in both divisions of the State. On Wednesday, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a high-level meeting at his residence with the officers of the tTourism department on the issue. In the meeting, he directed the officials to prepare a detailed roadmap for the establishment of one SEZ each in Garhwal and Kumaon division. He said that this initiative would prove to be a major step towards establishing Uttarakhand as a global spiritual, cultural and tourism centre. Dhami expressed hope that this project will encompass the preservation of religious, cultural and natural heritage as well as the holistic development of pilgrimage sites and their surrounding areas. This will provide new employment and self-employment opportunities for local youth, while boosting the economy of the State. The CM asked the officers to begin groundwork on the project in the ongoing financial year itself. The SEZs will encourage Yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, naturopathy, local handicrafts, products and culture. He added that this initiative will enrich the State’s tourism landscape and strengthen Uttarakhand’s identity as the spiritual capital of the world. In the meeting, the CM also directed the officers to make proper arrangements for the winter tourism in the State. He said that infrastructure should be expanded at the winter destinations, strengthening travel, accommodation, transportation and security arrangements so that more tourists can experience the State’s natural and cultural diversity. He called for the State’s tourism potential to be widely promoted, both domestically and internationally, through traditional and modern means. “Our goal is to promote tourism in the state, improve the living standards of the general public and move towards sustainable development while preserving the State’s natural and spiritual heritage,’’ he added. Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj attended the meeting virtually. The chairperson of Badrinath Kedarnath Temple Committee Hemant Dwivedi, chief secretary Anand Bardhan, principal secretary RK Sudhanshu, R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretary Shailesh Bagauli, Dhiraj Garbyal and others.
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