Chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday advocated promotion of tourism as a means of livelihood given that agriculture - the main occupation in the state - was being adversely hit by unfavourable climatic condition.

Addressing a rally on the grounds of Adwaita Mission High School, at the base of Mandar hill, he said global warming was to blame for insufficient rain and drought.

'Since agriculture is our mainstay and the state is reeling from such climatic conditions, it is better to have an alternative. Tourism, which has immense potential in the state, should now be our priority for better livelihood opportunities,' he said.

He claimed the government has made tourism a priority in the state's budget. Under a special initiative to promote tourism, the government would spend over Rs 16.5 crore to install a ropeway on Mandar hill besides developing infrastructure there. He said the state had already provided Rs 2 crore for the project and assured completion of the project within stipulated timeframe.

'Gone are the days when projects took over 10-15 years or never got completed after laying of foundation stone. We are very strict in meeting datelines. The state faces huge losses when projects get delayed. Supposing a project was estimated to cost Rs 2 crore at the time of its start, the cost could shoot up to Rs 10 crore if completed after 10 years. So, the government has to provide an additional Rs 8 crore,' Manjhi said. He threatened to jail officials and contractors if projects are not completed on time.

Midway through his speech, Manjhi appealed to students and the youth in general to not hate those who are underprivileged by virtue of their profession and to, instead, help them out. Turning emotional, he said: ' Kaun mujhe gareeb kehta hai, Jitan Ram Manjhi gareeb nahi hai, dil ka amir hai (Whoever thinks I am poor? Jitan Ram Manjhi is not poor. He is rich at heart).'

He cited the case of Shail Devi of Ajitpur village in Muzaffarpur, who saved many lives during communal riots. He said the poor, illiterate woman was a role model for all. 'Please don't give in to rumours that can easily destroy everything,' he said.

Earlier, Manjhi laid the foundation stone for the proposed project, which would cost nearly Rs 7.92 crore. He said the ropeway was likely to be completed within two years.

Cabinet ministers Narendra Singh, Shyam Rajak, Samrat Choudhary and Javed Iqbal Ansari accompanied him.