New Delhi, April 24 : The revered Char Dham Yatra is all set to begin next month, with the opening of doors of Gangotri-Yamunotri and Kedarnath Dham likely on May 10.

Ahead of the auspicious pilgrimage, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told IANS that all-round preparations are underway for a providing a safe, secure, hassle-free and comfortable yatra to the devotees.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, in an exclusive interaction with IANS said that the Chardham pilgrims will have access to the best facilities during the yatra, in all aspects including health.

Notably, health has emerged as a big concern for pilgrims visiting the state for Chardham darshan in post-Covid phase.

This year, the state government has made a special focus on improving health services on the Badrinath Dham and Kedarnath Dham yatra routes.

Pushkar Singh Dhami told IANS that religious tourism makes for the economic mainstay of the state and the pilgrimage has seen sharp spike in numbers after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mount Kailash.

He said that more than 56 lakh pilgrims took part in the Chardham yatra last year and this will only get bolstered further with each passing year.

He said that many big projects and infrastructure initiatives were in the works and the next few years will see the Yatra and the facilities completely revamped and refurbished.

The Chief Minister further said that all facilities including vehicle parking, transport and traffic, law and order are being looked into with detail.

Dhami recalled a statement by PM Modi where the latter said that the third decade of the 21st century will belong to Uttarakhand and said that the state government was assiduously working to achieve the same goal.

On questions about promoting film shoots in the hilly state, Dhami said that the state was rich in natural resources, including rivers and lakes. And, this makes it for a pleasant holiday trip for tourists as well as film buffs.

Sharing an insight into the increasing number of film shoots, he said that more than 200 films were shot in the state last year alone.

The state government is working towards easing off the whole process and also cutting down the multiple permission centers while offering exciting packages, he said.

/IANS