Varanasi in UP will be declared the first “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

• Varanasi will be the first city in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) region to be granted the rotating title of ‘Cultural & Tourism capital of SCO’ under a new mechanism during India’s SCO Presidency from September 2022 to September 2023.
• India will take over as SCO chair from Uzbekistan at the Samarkand summit in September this year.