India, Aug. 25 -- A BBA student from Pithoragarh has turned his observations of the challenges faced by tourists in Kumaon into a travel services startup after receiving entrepreneurship training and mentoring under the Uttarakhand government's Devbhoomi Udyamita Yojana.

Kartik Pandey, a student at LSM Government Postgraduate College, Pithoragarh, founded Namaste Saarthi, an online platform that brings together hotel bookings, transport and local guide services for tourists visiting the region.

Pandey, who comes from a middle-class family, grew up accompanying his father, a taxi driver, on journeys across the region. During these trips, he noticed that many tourists visiting Pithoragarh and Champawat struggled to find reliable taxis, ho...