Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], March 5 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state tomorrow, during which he will perform pooja and darshan at the winter seat of Maa Ganga in Mukhwa, will help making the state's Sheetkal Yatra famous in the country and abroad and give a boost to the state's economy.

PM Modi will visit Uttarakhand on Thursday. At around 9:30 am, he will perform pooja and darshan at the winter seat of Maa Ganga in Mukhwa. Around 10:40 am, he will flag off a trek and bike rally and also address the gathering at a public function in Harsil.

'We have started the Sheetkal Yatra. PM Modi is visiting Mukhwa Harsil tomorrow for encouragement so that the yatra gets famous in the country and abroad. His coming to Mukhwa and perform pooja and darshan at the Gangotri Dham will help making it more famous in the country and abroad. This will help in boosting our economy. The shops used to remain without business, the taxi drivers and guides did not get any work for six months. After this, they will get work for 12 months in the coming time,' Dhami told ANI.

'After the Prime Minister's visit to Kedarnath, the number of tourists has increased to more than 20 lakh and the way the Prime Minister had darshan of Adi Kailash in 2023, a huge number of devotees are visiting.... In the coming time, our Sheetal Yatra will be carried out in full swing in the whole state. On behalf of all the residents of Uttarakhand, I welcome Prime Minister on his arrival in Uttarakhand,' he added.

The Uttarakhand government has initiated a Winter Tourism programme this year. Thousands of devotees have already visited the winter seats of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. The programme is aimed to promote religious tourism and boost the local economy, homestays, tourism businesses, among others. (ANI)