SERI-Tourism Project was inaugurated at Manasbal in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district by Neelam Shami Rao, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles. She was accompanied by Padmini Singla, IAS, Joint Secretary, along with several senior officers and local farmers. The project includes a museum aimed at educating and spreading awareness among tourists about the process of silk production and the wide range of products made from silk. The initiative is expected to boost sericulture-based tourism in the Valley, providing visitors with insights into one of Kashmir’s oldest and most prized industries. Speaking to media, Neelam Shami Rao highlighted the importance of the facility. “We have set up a museum here where more than 150 varieties of mulberry templates are on display. These varieties are also used to provide saplings across India. The main objective of this museum is to educate and spread awareness among tourists about sericulture and silk production,” she said. Farmers and sericulture experts present on the occasion expressed hope that the project would not only attract tourists but also encourage the younger generation to take up sericulture as a sustainable livelihood option.