Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 22 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday participated in the flag-off program of the third mountaineering expedition 'Shaurya' organised by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at Mukhya Sevak Sadan Dehradun, the Chief Minister's residence.

The Chief Minister expressed happiness and congratulated the NDRF personnel on going on the third mountaineering expedition. He said that our soldiers would definitely be successful in this expedition and would guide other mountaineers coming on this track.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is working to establish the immense possibilities of adventure tourism in the state at the international level. He said that adventure activities and sports are being promoted in various fields.

The Chief Minister said the state government is encouraging adventure activities like angling, cycling, rafting, trekking, and paragliding. Many competitions, such as the Tehri Water Sports and the Nayar Mahotsav, are organised yearly in the state.

The Chief Minister said that the NDRF personnel are expanding their skills and becoming an inspiration for the youth by participating in adventure activities and providing their disaster management services. He said that in every disaster that comes to the state, NDRF jawans remain at ground zero.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is continuously working to strengthen disaster management, which is linked to necessary resources, state-of-the-art equipment, and the latest technology.

Training centres are also being established to make the jawans modern and technically proficient. SDRF and Pune's Indian Rescue Academy have signed an agreement.

The state government has approved the Uttarakhand Disaster Preparedness and Resilience Project Scheme with the cooperation of the central government. About Rs 1480 crore has been approved to strengthen the disaster management system.

The Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself flagged off the participants of many adventure sports during his visit to Mukhwa to promote adventure tourism in the state.

With the Prime Minister's guidance and cooperation, the state government is working to establish the state as a major centre of adventure sports and eco-tourism. He said that in October 2022, the Prime Minister described all the border villages of the country, starting with Mana village, as the country's first village.

DG NDRF Piyush Anand said that this trekking campaign will also prove helpful for rescue in the high Himalayan regions. This will enable our soldiers to carry out rescue operations in the high Himalayan regions. He said that whenever the state needs NDRF, we are always ready.

He said that the time of response is also being reduced. In this campaign, a team of 44 members will conquer the 6,832-meter-high 'Kedar Domsh' peak via Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Chirbasa, Bhojwasa, Tapovan, and Kirti Glacier. This challenging track has inaccessible mountain paths and glaciers. (ANI)