UP Cabinet approves policy for making state adventure sports destination

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved a policy that aims at making the state a water tourism and adventure sports destination.

The Uttar Pradesh Water Tourism and Adventure Sports Policy, 2023, will be valid for 10 years from the date notified by the state government, an official release quoting Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh said.

Hills in the Vindhya and the Bundelkhand regions, about 16,620 sq km in the foothills of the Himalayas as well as forest areas, rivers and waterfalls, dams, reservoirs and lakes have a lot of potential for water-based tourism, adventure sports and water sports, he said.

"Keeping this in mind, we brought the policy, which has got the approval from the Council of Ministers. This policy will be valid for 10 years from the date notified by the state government," the tourism minister said.

This policy will be applicable to all inland land-based, air-based and water routes, dams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers and ponds, and all adventure activities to be carried out on various water bodies and land parcels within the jurisdiction of Uttar Pradesh, he said.

He said that under the policy, the nodal agency will create adventure sports units at the divisional level.

Ex-servicemen will be included in adventure sports units for which the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation will sign an agreement with the Uttar Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Welfare Corporation, he said.

Besides this, approval was also given to the proposal of the tourism department to develop and operate loss-making or non-operational tourist accommodation houses on public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

The minister said that heritage buildings will be developed as heritage tourism units on PPP model. A total of nine heritage buildings have already been identified for this, he added.