Uttarakhand and Bali in Indonesia will collaborate with each other in the fields of tourism, culture, e-governance, human resource, capacity building, environment and health. A five-point Letter of Intent to this effect was signed by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and Governor of Bali I Made Mangku Pastika at the former’s official residence here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Rawat said with cooperation in field of tourism, culture, environment and health, Uttarakhand and the Indonesian province of Bali will come closer to each other. Bali is an important tourist destination and with this agreement, the flow of tourists in both India and Indonesia will increase, Rawat said. He hoped more Indonesian tourists will now visit Uttarakhand.
Pastika said Bali was a Hindu majority state with 90 per cent of residents being Hindus and more than five thousand people from Bali visit Haridwar and Rishikesh every year. He also said Bali is a major tourist destination with 17,000 foreign tourists visiting it every day. He said a large number of people in Bali follow the ‘Mahabharata’ and ‘Ramayana’ and practise vedic rituals and traditions.
Expressing his fondness for Uttarakhand, the Bali Governor said he had visited the state in 2007 and 2014. He also extended an invitation to the chief minister to visit Bali.