Jaipur, Oct 24 Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on Saturday said the state government was working to conserve 662 historic havelis in the Shekhawati region and develop a heritage tourism circuit covering Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Churu districts.
Addressing the Shekhawati Heritage and Development Summit in Jaipur, Sharma also announced a Shekhawati heritage meet on December 8 to encourage people from the region settled in India and abroad to contribute to heritage conservation, tourism development and investment.
He said the government was working to preserve the original architecture and traditional paintings of the historic havelis while linking them with tourism activities to generate employment.
“Local artists and craftsmen involved in traditional painting and other crafts would be provided skill training and associated with the conservation initiative,” he said.
The chief minister noted that Shekhawati’s historic havelis, religious places and cultural traditions were valuable assets that needed to be preserved for future generations.
He urged locals, entrepreneurs and people from the region living elsewhere to join the conservation efforts.
Sharma said the government was also taking steps to address water scarcity in Shekhawati through various projects and inter-state agreements.
He informed that work worth around Rs 41,000 crore had already started under the Ram Jal Setu Link Project, against proposed works worth nearly Rs 1 lakh crore.
The project would help meet drinking water, irrigation and industrial requirements in the state, he said.
Referring to the Yamuna water agreement, Sharma said efforts were underway to meet the water requirements of Sikar, Churu and Jhunjhunu districts.
He said the government was also working on projects including the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project, Kishau Dam, Ferozepur Feeder and Jawai water project to improve drinking water and irrigation facilities.
The chief minister emphasised that the state government was making efforts to increase power generation and achieve self-reliance in the energy sector.
He said farmers and hotel operators were being encouraged to adopt solar energy, while increased power generation would support industrial development, investment and employment.
The chief minister urged entrepreneurs to encourage the younger generation to take up business and industry, saying Shekhawati’s business community had made a significant contribution to the country’s economic development.
Shekhawati Foundation national president Vinod Goyal and other office-bearers of the organisation attended the event.
(PTI News)
