MEA will lobby for UNESCO World Heritage status for Mount Kailash region

The Ministry of External Affairs of India has given its consent to convert the holy Mount Kailash geographical area into a shared world heritage site with China and Nepal. The Ministry of External Affairs will now lobby on the international stage for the protected UNESCO world heritage status at the initiative of the Wildlife Institute of India.

Pithoragarh: The Ministry of External Affairs of India has given its consent to convert the holy Mount Kailash geographical area into a shared world heritage site with China and Nepal. The Ministry of External Affairs will now lobby on the international stage for the protected UNESCO world heritage status at the initiative of the Wildlife Institute of India.

UNESCO has been trying for the last two years to get the world heritage status for Mount Kailash and its surrounding geographical area. However, border disputes between India, China and Nepal put the matter into cold storage.

This time, the MEA has agreed to take forward the proposal with China and Nepal for the inclusion of the Kailash region as a shared world heritage site. A total of 31 thousand 252 square kilometres of Kailash area have been earmarked for the same. India will contribute 7120 square kilometres of its area for the initiative.

The MEA hopes that the shared world heritage status of the Kailash region will improve the cultural and political relations between India, China and Nepal. MEA's successful campaign can not only protect the ecologically sensitive area, but it can also kickstart new possibilities of tourism in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

The people living in the border areas of Pithoragarh are very happy as well with the recent development. The residents have also urged the central government to fix the health and communication services along with improvement in connectivity in the border areas.