Page 13 - NIS English, 16-30 November,2022
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Culture Nation
DEVELOPMENT ALONG he two main pillars of building a developed India
of the 21st century are based on our pride in
WITH CULTURAL PRIDE Tthe heritage and doing everything possible for
development. The nation is strengthening both these
pillars today. Speaking at the foundation stone laying
Mana village, surrounded by beautiful plains ceremony of various development works in Mana, which
in Uttarakhand, is known as the last village is known as the last village of Uttarakhand, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said, “These centers of faith are not just
of India but every village on the border is the a structure, but for us they are like a life force. They are
first village in the country for Prime Minister such powerhouses that keep us alive in the most difficult
Narendra Modi. Earlier, these villages at situations. In spite of their gross negligence, neither the
the border faced apathy but now efforts are importance of our spiritual centers has diminished, nor
being made to meet the expectations of the has there been any reduction in our devotion to them.
people in these villages. At the same time, This is the reason why today Kashi, Ujjain, Ayodhya, and
efforts are being made to have a vibrant life many other spiritual centers are regaining their lost glory
in the border areas where fast development and heritage. Kedarnath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib
is possible. As part of this initiative, on are connecting many services with technology. From
October 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi the Ayodhya Ram temple to the Maa Kalika temple in
laid the foundation stone of road and Gujarat's Pavagadh to the Devi Vindhyachal corridor,
ropeway projects worth more than Rs 3400 India is consolidating its cultural and traditional values.
crore in Mana. Due to the rejuvenation of these places of faith, while
the pilgrimage to these religious centres are getting
easier, the elderly are also able to visit them without
many difficulties. To promote local products and the
efforts of local self-help groups, Prime Minister Modi
also appealed to the people going for tourism to any part
of the country to divert 5 percent of their travel budget
for local products. “This will give a big boost to local
products and give you immense satisfaction,” the Prime
Minister said.
FOUNDATION STONE OF MANY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
LAID IN MANA VILLAGE OF UTTARAKHAND
The ropeway at Kedarnath will be about 9.7 km long and
will connect Gaurikund with Kedarnath, reducing the travel
time between the two places from 6-7 hours at present to
just 30 minutes.
Hemkund ropeway will connect Govindghat with
Hemkund Sahib. It will be approximately 12.4 km long and
will reduce the travel time from a day to just 45 minutes.
This ropeway will also connect Ghangaria, which is the
gateway to the Valley of Flowers National Park.
Developed at a total cost of around Rs 2430 crore, the
ropeway will be an eco-friendly mode of transport to
make travel safe, secure and comfortable. This will boost
religious tourism, accelerate economic development and
create many employment opportunities.
The foundation stone of road widening projects worth
about one thousand crore rupees was also laid. The
two road widening projects- Mana to Mana Pass and
Joshimath to Malari will be another step towards providing
all-weather road connectivity in our border areas.
New India Samachar November 16-30, 2022 11
