The Uttarakhand government is committed to minimising migration from the border villages as they serve as the country's second line of defence, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said.

To achieve this, the government has been promoting religious and adventure tourism and this will create self-employment opportunities for the local people, he said ?after inaugurating a 10-day Autumn Festival at the DS Bisht Ground here on Saturday.

On the occassion, he inaugurated development projects worth Rs 136 crore and laid foundation stone for 15 projects. "Border villages play a vital role in the country's defence. They are, in fact, our second line of defence. We are committed to minimising migration there," he said.

Developing the Manaskhand corridor by linking all major temples in the region is part of the efforts to promote religious tourism, the chief minister added.

The government has in the recent past organised several programmes to promote religious tourism in Adi Kailash region, he said. "Steps to promote adventure tourism in remote villages are also being taken," he added.

The Centre's Bharatmala project will give a further push towards this initiative as it will make the remote border villages more easily accessible, Dhami said. ?

(With PTI Inputs)