Dehradun, July 19, 2026: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami joined virtually from the Chief Minister’s residence auditorium in a programme held at the Fanto Zone of the Tarai Western Forest Division, Ramnagar, where 180 trained women and men nature guides were given employment registration certificates.
Greeting the certificate recipients, Dhami said the certificates are not just documents for employment, but proof of the youth’s skills, hard work, and commitment to nature conservation. He said he was especially pleased that many of the young recipients had returned to their villages and the state through reverse migration.
He said Fanto Zone is no longer just a tourist spot, but has become an excellent model of eco-tourism and community-based tourism. Its natural beauty, rich biodiversity, dense forests, peaceful environment, and wildlife are attracting tourists from India and abroad.
Dhami added that Fanto Zone is also rapidly building a distinct identity for tiger sighting. He said the developed tree house is giving tourists a unique experience in the lap of nature, while tourism activity is generating state revenue and economic benefits for local people.
The chief minister said the government’s priority is to protect nature while also making the lives of communities connected to nature more prosperous. He said eco-tourism is creating employment and self-employment opportunities for local youth, women, homestay operators, small traders, vehicle drivers, local product makers, and rural families.
He also said that as the state completed five years of its current term, Uttarakhand has set new benchmarks in development, good governance, job creation, and public welfare. He described initiatives such as eco-tourism and nature guiding as important means of providing dignified livelihoods to youth in their villages.
Dhami said that under the guidance and inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is linking tourism not just to travel, but also to employment, self-employment, the local economy, and reverse migration. He said new opportunities are being created in homestays, winter tourism, adventure tourism, eco-tourism, wellness tourism, destination weddings, and spiritual tourism.
He added that these efforts have led to a 44 percent increase in reverse migration in the state, showing that Uttarakhand’s villages are becoming centers of new possibilities, not just memories of the past.
The chief minister said nature guides have an important role and that their responsibility is not limited to showing tourists the जंगल. He said they are ambassadors of Uttarakhand’s identity, guardians of forests, partners in wildlife conservation, and brand ambassadors of the state’s culture, traditions, and spirit of Atithi Devo Bhava.
Dhami called on nature guides and residents to take a pledge to protect nature and wildlife, spread environmental awareness, strengthen villages, and connect local youth to employment. Senior forest officials, public representatives, nature guides, and a large number of local people were present on the occasion.
Author: This news is edited by: Abhishek Verma, (Editor, CANON TIMES)
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