Kaamya Karthikeyan, the youngest Indian Mount Everest summiter, was on Wednesday felicitated by Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ at a special function here on the International Everest Day along with other veteran international summiters.

The International Everest Day is celebrated on May 29 every year to mark the first ascent of the world’s highest peak at 8848.86 metres. Seventy-one years since Nepal’s Tenzing Norgey and New Zealander Edmund Hillary stood atop Everest in 1953, more than 8,000 people have scaled it.

At just 16 years and 9 months old, Kaamya reached the top of the world on May 20 from the South Cole on the Nepalese side successfully along with her father S Karthikeyan, 45, an Indian Navy Commander.

Kaamya said she got attracted to climbing Everest when she had trekked to the Everest Base Camp seven years ago. “I am overwhelmed by the love and affection that the people of Nepal have shown during my journey here,” she said.

The young Indian student has embarked on a journey to climb all the highest peaks on the seven continents; Mt Everest being her sixth peak and she plans to climb Mt Vinson Massif in Antarctica in December.

Besides Kaamya, Prime Minister Prachanda also felicitated Kami Rita Sherpa, who climbed Mt Everest for a record 30 times this spring, and Phunjo Lama, who climbed Everest in just 14 hours and 31 minutes becoming the first female to do so in the shortest time.

“Dignity and safety of climbers are the top priorities for the government of Nepal,” Prachanda said and also announced the government’s plan to set up a welfare fund aimed at assisting the Sherpas and other mountain guides, who sacrifice their lives to promote mountain tourism.

“Nepal government aims to attract 1.6 million tourists in the year 2024,” he said.

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