VARANASI, July 18 -- A joint delegation comprising representatives from NITI Aayog and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) visited the world-famous Salkhan Fossil Park on Friday. The visit was part of an ongoing assessment of the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, spearheaded by the NITI Aayog. Sonbhadra tourism officer Rajesh Bharti explained the park's historical and geological significance, noting that the Uttar Pradesh government and the district administration are continuously working to attract tourists from around the world. He also highlighted initiatives aimed at linking tourism development with local employment and livelihood opportunities. Prior to the site visit, the joint team conducted an inspection of various developmental schemes in the Chatra block of Sonbhadra. During the tour, the team emphasised enhancing cooperation in sectors such as education, health, agriculture, skill development and community participation to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a statement from the district administration. The delegation held a meeting with district magistrate Charchit Gaur and chief development officer Jagriti Awasthi at the Collectorate auditorium to review development initiatives. Subsequently, they visited an exhibition in the Chatra block, where they gathered information on local innovations and public welfare activities undertaken by various departments. The delegation included Yumiko Onishi, Ayumi Miyagawa, Hitomi Hamada, Binay Patnaik and Mohit Sood from JICA, and Gaurav Kumar Mishra from NITI Aayog. Several local officials were also present, including block development officer Rupesh Kumar Mandal, district economics and statistics officer Sant Pal Verma, district programme officer Vineet Singh, deputy district economics and statistics officer Dr KN Upadhyay, Dr Jai Singh and Dr Surya Prakash....