Identified: 41 sites in 25 States
Tourism Ministry has identified 15 thematic circuits including themes covering religious sites for development — Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, Buddhist Circuit and Sufi Circuit.
The projects under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme-Integrated Development for development in consultation with the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations and are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, said Minister of State (I/C) for Culture & Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel in reply to a question in Rajya Sabha on 25 June 2019.
It is also subject to submission of suitable Detailed Project Reports, adherence to scheme guidelines and utilization of funds released earlier.
Submission of project proposals by the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations under the scheme is a continuous process, he said.
Tourism Ministry has also identified Adventure Tourism, Eco Tourism and Sustainable Tourism as some of the Niche Tourism Products to promote India including Assam and other North Eastern States as a year-round destination and to attract tourists with specific interest for ensuring repeat visits for the unique products vis-à-vis competing destinations.
In addition, adequate focus is also being accorded for development of religious and pilgrim tourism.
The Ministry under its flagship schemes of Swadesh Darshan and National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) is giving due emphasis for development of tourism infrastructure and facilities, assured the Minister.
Under the PRASHAD Scheme, 41 religious cities/sites in 25 States have been identified for development.
These are: Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Parasuram Kund (Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), Balmeshwari Devi Temple (Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh), Dwarka and Somnath (Gujarat), Gurudwara Nada Saheb (Panchkula, Haryana), Maa Chintpurni (Una, Himachal Pradesh), Hazratbal and Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Deogarh and Parasnath (Jharkhand), Chamundeshwari Devi (Mysuru, Karnataka), Guruvayoor, St. Thomas International Shrine (Malayattoor) and Cheraman Juma Mosque (Thrissur, Kerala), Omkareshwar and Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh), Babedpara, West Jaintia Hills and Sohra (Meghalaya), Aizwal (Mizoram), Kohima and Mokokchung Districts (Nagaland), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Tripura Sundari (Tripura), Varanasi and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand) and Belur (West Bengal).
The Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD Schemes Guidelines have provision for developing nature and environment friendly destinations for both global and domestic tourists.
The Ministry has made it mandatory for the State Governments/UT Administrations to prepare the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) involving eco-tourism aspects viz. use of clean/renewable energy; eco-friendly materials and equipment, recycling & reuse while submitting proposals under the PRASHAD and the Swadesh Darshan Schemes.
The Ministry is regularly promoting adventure tourism, religious tourism and eco-tourism as part of Incredible India 2.0 Campaign in domestic and overseas markets, said Patel. fiinews.com
