RANCHI, July 22 -- Jharkhand's Hemant Soren government on Monday launched the country's maiden mining tourism initiative, inking a pact with Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a subsidiary of Coal India, to promote mining spots, including abandoned ones, as tourist destinations in the state, people aware of the development said. According to the officials, the Jharkhand Tourism Development Corporation (JTDC), on behalf of the state government, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CCL for the mining tourism initiative. "The project aims to transform Jharkhand's rich mining heritage into a captivating tourism experience. The two parties signed the MoU at the state secretariat in the presence of state tourism minister Sudivya Kumar," an official said. "Jharkhand has always been known as a mining state. Now, we have taken the first step towards mining tourism in the state in association with CCL. Now, the mining sector is open for tourists, common people, and educational groups," minister Kumar said. Jharkhand state is endowed with rich mineral resources and is home to about 40 per cent of the country's total natural reserves. The initiative to exploit the mining sector for tourism purposes comes around two months after a team led by chief minister Hemant Soren undertook a nine-day official trip to Spain and Sweden in Europe in April, inviting investment in different sectors, including mining....