India, Dec. 24 -- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday inaugurated the Kedarkantha Winter Tourism Festival in Sankri, calling winter tourism a vital pillar for a self-reliant and prosperous Uttarakhand. He urged citizens to help transform winter travel into a mass movement.

Dhami received a traditional welcome at Sankri, where he flagged off a tourist group headed to Kedarkantha and interacted with locals and visitors. He said Sankri is not just a village but "a living museum of Uttarakhand's folk culture," reflecting the state's distinct identity.

The CM noted that after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to promote winter travel, destinations like Kedarkantha, Harshil, Auli, Munsyari and Sankri have witnessed...