Iceland President showers praise on Uttarakhand, keen to revisit

DEHRADUN: Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson today showered praise on Uttarakhand, saying the state is endowed with great natural beauty and has tremendous scope for power generation and tourism.

Currently on a three-day visit to the hill state, Grimsson met Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and expressed his desire to come again to Uttarakhand and explore the possibilities of collaborations between Iceland and the state in hydropower and tourism sectors.

Grimsson said that scientific and other institutions located in the Himalayan region should develop coordination among themselves.

Both the leaders agreed that Iceland and Uttarakhand could work together in the field of hydropower and alternative energy.

Bahuguna said developed nations could contribute more towards environment conservation.

He also informed the Iceland president of the steps taken by the state government to produce power from pine needles.