Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched the first-ever nationwide initiative, 'Dekho Apna Desh People's Choice 2024' during his visit to Srinagar to identify the pulse of the nation on tourism.
The nationwide poll aimed to engage citizens and understand their preferences in five tourism categories: Spiritual, Cultural & Heritage, Nature & Wildlife, Adventure, and an 'other' category.
In the 'other' category, participants could vote for personal favorites, uncovering hidden tourism gems such as Vibrant Border Villages, Wellness Tourism, Wedding Tourism, etc.
The poll was hosted on the MyGov platform, the citizen engagement portal of the Government of India.
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This was PM Modi's first visit to Kashmir since the Centre abrogated the special status given to the erstwhile state and bifurcated it into two Union territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on August 5, 2019.
Describing Jammu and Kashmir as the crown of the country, the prime minister said the path to building a developed Jammu and Kashmir will emerge from tourism possibilities.
Simultaneously, the Prime Minister inaugurated the 'Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign' with the goal of inspiring the Indian diaspora to become Incredible India ambassadors.
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The campaign was launched following the Prime Minister's call to Indian diaspora members, urging them to encourage at least five non-Indian friends to travel to India.
With a diaspora exceeding 3 crore overseas Indians, it was recognized as a potent catalyst for Indian tourism, serving as cultural ambassadors.
With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, there was renewed political interests among opposition parties about the possibility of an announcement on assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir by the Election Commission. However, the prime minister did not mention anything about polls.
Among the projects the prime minister launched include tourism sector worth more than Rs 1,400 crore under the "Swadesh Darshan" and "PRASHAD" (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) schemes and a project for the integrated development of the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar.
