Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has given his nod for establishing Eco-Tourism Corporation in the state. Chairing a high-level meeting of secretaries, he said the new body would be a joint venture of the tourism and forest department, an official statement said.

As per a PTI report, he also asked the both departments to come up with a systematic and well planned proposal for the same. During the meeting, he also directed the forest development corporation to put up boundaries outside jungles for avoiding conflict between humans and wild animals. In this regard, he also directed the officials to construct toilets in forest-villages for ensuring safety of the people.

The Chief Minister called for keeping the interests of the local youths protected before drafting any policy for river rafting and beach camping. He was informed that the forest department has set a target of generating an additional income of about Rs 150 crore through eco-tourism, river rafting and beach camping this year.