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In a bid to promote tourism and to generate employment in the Union Territory which was devastated due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Puducherry government has announced a four-day beach festival from April 13.

Puducherry Tourism Minister Lakshminarayanan, in a statement, said that the festival would include cultural programmes, western music and dance, a catamaran race, bicycle marathon, kite flying, seafood gourmet, fashion show, water sports activities, and volleyball tournament.

The beach festival will be held at the Gandhi statue beach promenade, Gandhi thidal craft Bazar, Chunnambar water sports complex, Paradise beach, sand dunes beach, and Pondy Maria beach.

Tourists from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu visit Puducherry on weekends, the minister said, adding that the government has proposed to make the Union Territory a tourist destination on weekdays as well.

Lakshminarayan, who also holds the PWD portfolio, said that several infrastructure facilities have been created over the years in the territory, particularly on the beaches.

The tourism minister told IANS: "We have made full efforts to overcome the situation created by the Covid situation and the four-day beach festival is part of this move to improve tourism in the Union Territory as well as for employment generation."