The Araku Utsav was on with Union Minister for Tribal Welfare V. Kishore Chandra Deo lighting a lamp along with State Tribal Welfare Minster P. Balaraju at a function held at Tribal Museum, Araku on Saturday.
The two-day festival was being held to attract more tourists to the many beautiful tourist spots and thereby speed up the development of Visakha Agency, Mr. Deo said.
Efforts were on to develop inter-State tourism with the help of Odisha and Chattisgarh. There was need to project the millions years old Borra caves internationally, the Minister said.
Mr. Balaraju wanted tourism must be developed in the Visakhapatnam-Paderu-Chintapalli-Visakhapatnam ring route and package tours conducted to the tourist spots.
Job opportunities
Development of tourism would increase employment opportunities of the region, he said.
The two ministers inaugurated a amphitheatre, Girijan kiosks, boating pool and other development works done at a cost of Rs.1.50 crore. CEO of AP Tourism Development Corporation Srinivas said local Girijan people were being employed in the tourism sector. Girijan products and handicraft items would be on sale at the Girijan kiosks of the museum, he said. MLA Siveri Soma, Project Officer of ITDA, Paderu K. Srikanth Prabhakar, RDO, Paderu, Ganapathi Rao and others also spoke.
