An investigation by *The Indian Express* has uncovered that Acharya Balkrishna, co-founder and managing director of Patanjali Ayurved and close associate of Baba Ramdev, gained control of a prestigious tourism project in Uttarakhand despite bidding rules meant to prevent collusion. The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board floated a tender in December 2022 to develop and operate adventure tourism facilities across 142 acres of the George Everest Estate near Mussoorie, offering infrastructure such as pathways, a helipad, wooden huts, museums, and a café for an annual concession fee starting at ₹1 crore.

Three companies submitted bids for the contract, but records show that Balkrishna held overwhelming stakes in all of them. He owns over 99% in Prakriti Organics India and Bharuwa Agri Science, and initially held 25% in Rajas Aerosports and Adventures—the firm that eventually won the tender—before raising his stake to a controlling 69% after the award. The bidding documents explicitly required participants to certify that they were not acting in collusion, yet entities linked to Balkrishna later acquired additional shares in Rajas Aerosports.

Officials defended the process, claiming the tender was open and competitively priced, while a Rajas spokesperson argued that passive shareholding does not equate to management control. Despite these assurances, company filings reveal a complex network of Balkrishna-owned firms consolidating influence over the winning bidder.

The state had earlier invested ₹23.5 crore to upgrade the George Everest Estate and has since expanded Rajas Aerosports’ role, even recommending it for new aviation-based tourism ventures. Critics argue that the overlapping ownership of all bidders undermines the fairness of the tender and raises serious questions about transparency and accountability in Uttarakhand’s tourism projects.