The 20th session of the Dekho Apna Desh webinar series on 16th May 2020 titled “Uttarakhand Simply Heaven” highlighted the potential of tourism in Uttarakhand’s two regions namely Kedar Khand (Garhwal Region) and Manu Khand (Kumaon Region) and touched upon .the popular destination like Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Hemkhund Sahib and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Valley of Flowers.

This webinar session was presented by Dr. PushpeshPant, an eminent scholar, Food Historian and an expert in International Relations, Ex-Professor of JNU, Mr. Ganesh Saili a renowned author, notable photographer and an authority on the history of Uttarakhand and Mr. Shashank Pandey, a certified outbound trainer, MD of Aspen Adventures, Rishikesh. The session was moderated by Ms. Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General, Ministry of Tourism and

Uttarakhand’s Adventure Tourism Potential such as river rafting at Rishikesh and Pittoragarh, winter sports and skiing in Auli, Paragliding at Tehri Dam and Kaushani, innumerable options for trekking available such as Chopta and Pindari Glacier and India’s highest bungee jumping facility in Rishikesh were highlighted by the presenters.

Besdies adventure activities, the session also presented options for experiencing the best of nature by paying a visit to the oldest national park of the country- Jim Corbett National Park, Rajaji Tiger Reserve and UNESCO site of Nanda Devi National Park-exploring the rich diversity of floral and fauna of Himalayan Region.

Uttarakhand’s immense opportunities for developing and exploring rural tourism offerings, the best options for homestays wherein one can experience and feel the real hospitality of the people serving the best of local cuisine also was highlighted by the presenters.

Ms. Rupinder Brar, Additional Director General concluded the session stating Uttarakhand ‘Dev Bhoomi’ ,the Land of Gods is a mesmerizing destination for tourists of all tastes. It is a multi-faceted destination, i.e. from being a sacred and religious site to be an adventure land with rich biodiversity in its purest form.

The Dekho Apna Desh Webinar Series sessions are conducted with active support of National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY)

For those who had missed these webinars, the sessions are now available on the https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbzIbBmMvtvH7d6Zo_ZEHDA/featured and also on all social media handles of Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

The next episode of the webinar scheduled Tuesday 19th May 2020 at 11.00 am , is titled ‘Photowalking Bhopal’ and participants can join the webinar be registering at https://digitalindia-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wLHXyRTGTrK3Vb-ljK8sxQ

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NB/AKJ/OA