The two-day annual festival -- Araku Utsav 2020 -- was off to a grand start at Araku Valley in Visakhapatnam district on Saturday. Tourism Minister M. Srinivasa Rao and officials from the district took part in the event.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said that development was not up to the mark in the tribal areas due to lack of awareness about various government schemes.
The State government was keen on tribal development and releasing adequate funds for the same, the Minister said and underlined the need for creating awareness about the welfare schemes to ensure reach of their fruits to the targeted group.
The Minister said the aim of organising such festivals was to spread the tribal tradition and culture to other regions. Such utsavs would also put Araku on global map, he opined.
Mr. Srinivasa Rao also said that making of Vizag as an Executive capital would lead to development of the Agency. He further said the festival would be made an annual affair.
Pravin Kumar, Managing Director, APTDC, listed various programmes being organised in the tribal areas. Paderu MLA K. Bhagya Lakshmi stressed the need for eco-friendly tourism in the region.
Mimicry show
People in large numbers from Araku and surrounding mandals thronged the utsav venue on the first day. A number of stalls exhibiting handlooms, garments, tribal foods and others were put up. The food stalls with tribal delicacies received good response. Cultural programmes, including folk dances, entertained the visitors. Mimicry show by renowned artiste Siva Reddy was the major attraction.
