Modi mingles with locals, interacts with ITBP personnel at Gunji village of Uttarakhand

PITHORAGARH: After paying obeisance to Adi Kailash at his holy abode Parvatikund, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday mingled with locals and took the blessings of the elderly at the Gunji village in the Pitthoragarh district of Uttarakhand.

Taking time out of a packed scheduke on a day-long visit to 'Devbhoomi', PM Modi also interacted with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel deployed at the frontiers.

After performing a prayer at Parvati Kund in Pithoragarh, PM Modi proceeded to Gunji village, which is situated at an altitude of 11,000 metres above Pithoragarh.

Taking the local flavour, PM Modi was also pictured beating the drum along with residents. He also visited the exhibition highlighting the local arts and artifacts of Gunji village. Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami accompanied PM Modi on his visit to Gunji.

A major tourist attraction in the hll-state, Gunji is also known as Shiv Sthal. A Shiv Mahotsav held here in 2021 drew major interest and was widely attended by locals as well as visitors from from across the country and beyond.

Taking to his official handle on social media platform X, PM Modi also shared pictures of his visit to Parvati Kund. "Sharing some more glimpses from Parvati Kund," PM Modi posted on X. https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1712341113078685974?s=20 From Gunji village, PM Modi is scheduled to head to Jageshwar in Almora district where he will perform Pooja at Jageshwar Dham. "At around 12 noon, the Prime Minister will reach Jageshwar, Almora district, where he will perform pooja and darshan at Jageshwar Dham. Located at a height of about 6200 feet, the Jageshwar Dham comprises about 224 stone temples," the PMO said in a statement.

PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects, worth about Rs 4200 crore, across sectors such as rural development, road, power, irrigation, drinking water, horticulture, education, health and disaster management, among others.

"A scheme for cultivation of high-density intensive apple orchards; five projects for NH road upgradation; Multiple steps for disaster preparedness and resilience in the state viz construction of bridges, upgradation of State Emergency Operation Center in Dehradun, steps for prevention of landslide in Balianala, Nainital and improvement in other infrastructure related to fire, health and forest; development of hostels. and computer labs in 20 model degree colleges across the state; 100 bedded sub-district hospital at Someshwar, Almora; 50 bedded Hospital block in Champawat; Astroturf Hockey Ground at Haldwani Stadium, Nainital; Velodrome Stadium at Rudrapur; Manaskhand Mandir Mala Mission Scheme for infrastructure development in temples including Jageshwar Dham (Almora), Haat Kalika (Pithoragarh) and Naina Devi (Nainital) temples," an official statement read.