Union Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted a video to mark the International Mountain Day.
On International Mountain Day, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has urged everyone to save the "beautiful and majestic mountains", suggesting "sustainable tourism" is one way to do that.
The Law Minister also shared a video that shows him riding a horse against the backdrop of white, snow-capped mountains.
“On the extremely special occasion of International Mountain Day, let's pledge to save beautiful nature and majestic mountains. This year's theme is “Sustainable Mountain Tourism”,” said Mr Rijiju.
Another post linked to the video showed his photos from the Ladakh visit. The images showed him riding yaks and trying his hand at archery.
When the Union Minister was in Ladakh in January to inaugurate the Khelo India Winter Sports Festival at Zanskar Valley, he had tweeted: “Snow Yak riding and horse riding are parts of the Khelo India Winter Sports Festival at Zanskar. Visitors can stay at homestay and local lodge and experience the beauty of Zanskar. The Ladakhi people are full of enthusiasm and welcoming."
Snow Yak riding and horse riding are parts of the Khelo India Winter Sports Festival at Zanskar. Visitors can stay at homestay and local lodge and experience the beauty of Zanskar. The Ladakhi people are full of enthusiasm and welcoming. https://t.co/rTNqONZJrTpic.twitter.com/qywB9m0BNn
International Mountain Day, a United Nations event, is celebrated to raise awareness about the sustainable development of mountains, home to 15 percent of the world's population and about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They supply freshwater to half of humanity.
International Mountain Day was first celebrated in 2003 and since then it has been a yearly tradition. This year's theme for this global event is "Sustainable Mountain Tourism". This is a bid to minimise the impact on this sector because of the pandemic.
Mountain tourism provides an additional and alternative livelihood option for those living in these high-altitude regions. This, in turn, helps in conserving the fascinating landscape and its biodiversity.