Valley of Flowers opens for tourists
The state government last week opened the ‘Valley of Flowers’ for tourists from across the country. Forest minister Harak Singh Rawat said that the department has cleared all the internal routes of the valley for patrolling, as the risk of poaching looms in the sensitive area. The UNESCO World Heritage site was closed due to the Covid epidemic. Around 15,000 visitors visited the valley last year. According to officials, it was the first time that the valley did not open for tourists at the scheduled time. Tourists will be required to upload their Covid-19 negative certificate 72 hours before their visit.
Corona warriors to be invited for I-Day celebrations
Uttarakhand government has allowed celebrations for Independence Day with strict safety norms including adhering to social distancing, using masks, not gathering in large numbers and ‘use of technology in the best possible manner for celebration befitting the occasion’ in a new set of guidelines under Unlock 2.0 released on August 4. It also stated that corona warriors like doctors, health workers, sanitation workers, etc should be invited to the ceremonies at state, district and other levels as recognition of their noble service. It would be appropriate that the theme of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” is suitably spread and publicised through various activities/messages in the functions and on social media during the celebrations, it said.
Get ‘prasad’ from Badrinath shrine at home
The Chamoli district administration has signed a contract with the e-commerce website Amazon for the distribution of ‘Panch Badri Prasadam’ of the Badrinath shrine. The delivery of the ‘Prasadam’ began on July 31. It is available on Amazon under ‘Badrinath Prasad Box’ for `322. The contents have been sourced from 18 local self-help groups, said Swati S Bhadauria, district magistrate of Chamoli. The sourcing of contents from these groups will help at least 89 families who have lost their livelihood due to the effect of the Covid pandemic on religious tourism this year.
Uttarakhand seeks funds worth Rs 1,000 cr
Uttarakhand government has sent a proposal worth Rs 1,000 crore for significant management projects in the state, including water connection in the hills and creating jobs for migrant workers people who have returned due to the pandemic. Tourism and irrigation minister Satpal Maharaj handed over the proposal to Union Minister Of State for Finance Anurag Thakur earlier this week. Maharaj also sought an extension of two years and 11 months for ongoing works under Gramya-2, a World Bank-aided project. The current deadline is September 2021.
Vineet Upadhyay
Our correspondent in Dehradun
vineet.upadhyay@newindianexpress.com