Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat thanked President Ram Nath Kovind for visiting Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines during rainy weather on Sunday.
The Chief Minister said the presidential visit has lent more substance to the message of safe pilgrimage in Uttarakhand this year.
Rawat said during the start of the Char Dham Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then President Pranab Mukherjee had visited the shrines. Such visits have boosted the confidence of people from across the nation and abroad who have been visiting Uttarakhand this year.
So far about 21 lakh people have undertaken the Char Dham Yatra this year. Till September 23, 7,798,65 people visited Badrinath, 4,321,73 visited Kedrnath, 3,856,37 had visited Gangotri and 3,718,93 had visited Yamunotri while 1,190,10 had visited Hemkund.
The CM added the State Government wants to develop the Char Dham and other tourist spots in to attractions open for the public throughout the year in Uttarakhand. Considering this, the visit of the President was all the more important. The all weather road project of the Central Government worth Rs 12,000 crore is an important effort aimed at meeting the aim of optimising pilgrimage and tourism in the State.