Shimla, Jul 18 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh holds immense potential in religious tourism and adventure tourism and there was a need to link these sectors with with employment opportunities to strengthen the state’s economy, Governor Kavinder Gupta said on Saturday.
Talking to the media here, he urged the youth to leverage local resources and new opportunities for employment and livelihood rather than relying solely on government jobs.
Gupta said wellness tourism, natural farming, horticulture, and adventure tourism can steer the state’s economy in a new direction.
The governor suggested that a religious tourism circuit could be developed, linking areas from Jammu and Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh. By connecting religious sites such as Chamunda Devi, Chintpurni, Jwalaji, and Naina Devi with improved facilities and better road connectivity, pilgrims could complete the religious circuit within one or two days, he said.
Gupta pointed out that the development of religious corridors in Ayodhya, Kashi, and other parts of the country has boosted tourism and increased local incomes and Himachal, too, could benefit from this model.
However, he stressed that tourism development must be carried out with due regard for the environment.
The governor said the state’s vast forest cover, the cultivation of medicinal plants could be promoted and people should be encouraged to adopt it as a means of livelihood.
On the growing problem of drug abuse in the state, the governor said that while the government is making continuous efforts at its level, the role of society is paramount in the fight against it. PTI BPL SKY SKY
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