Jammu, January 31 (Scoop News) – Minister for Tourism and Culture, Nawang Rigzin Jora has said that this year Shiv Khori festival would be celebrated with renewed grandeur to attract the pilgrims visiting Mata VishnoDevi and other shrines of Jammu.
The Minister was reviewing the arrangements being made for celebration of the festival scheduled on February 20.
Minister of State for Home, Tourism and Culture, Nasir Aslam Wani, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Dr. Pawan Kotwal, Commissioner Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Attul Duloo, Deputy Commissioner, Reasi, Smt Sheetal Nanda , Director Tourism Jammu R.S.Mehta and other senior officers of Tourism Department were present on the occasion.
Jora also sanctioned Rs 4 lakh for meeting the arrangement expenses and asked Divisional Commissioner, who is also Chairman of Shivekhori Shrine Board, to personally monitor the arrangements so as to avoid inconvenience to visiting devotees.
The Minister said that Cultural Academy would be asked to organise cultural programmes on the occasion apart from the programmes presented by the local artists of the area. He asked concerned officers to launch a massive publicity campaign through print and electronic media to attract participation of maximum people in the festival.
Jora said that pilgrim tourism in the State is emerging a big economic activity, adding that need was to take devotees to newly developed religious places. He said on one hand this would help to further promote religious tourism and on the other create means of income for locals around the shrine.
The meeting was informed that adequate arrangements have been made to make the event a big success. He said the festival would witness handicraft exhibition and sale, drama events and cultural programmes by the locals
The Minister asked Director Tourism to invite Song and Drama Division to make the event more festive and attractive.