Twitter Thread Ties Together PM Modi’s Sharp Vision for Hill States over Two Decades

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Uttarakhand on Friday appealed to people, particularly tourists, to spend money on purchasing locally made products, as part of his government’s Local for Vocal initiative.

“I appeal to all tourists in the country to spend at least 5 per cent of their travel budget on buying local products,” the PM said at a public event held at Badrinath’s Mana, the last village bordering China.

While encouraging local tourism and local industries, the PM also responded to a Twitter thread that carried video clips underscoring his vision for the economy of the hill states since over two decades ago.

In the videos from 2001, before he became Gujarat’s chief minister, Modi in Uttarakhand speaks about the immense potential of Himalayan states to contribute to India’s economy.

He highlights Uttarakhand’s capability of becoming a major hub of spiritual tourism. He says that the immense potential and resources of the Himalayas and states like Uttarakhand should be tapped, but not exploited.

During his latest visit, PM Modi on Friday also accused the previous governments of leaving the centres of faith across the country in a state of neglect for years and claimed that these places are now being restored to their lost glory.

Pointing to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, Ujjain and Ayodhya, where major reconstruction work has been carried out in recent years, he attributed the “years of neglect” of these places to a “slave mentality”.

“Pride in our own legacy and every possible effort for development are the foundation of a 21st-century India,” the prime minister said while addressing a gathering in Uttarakhand’s Mana village on the India-China border, after laying the foundation stones of two ropeway projects to Kedarnath and Hemkund Sahib.

He offered prayers at the famous Kedarnath and Badrinath temples in Uttarakhand earlier in the day.

(With agency inputs)

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