Lok Sabha Question No. 3565 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-15
Subject: Development of Krishna Circuit
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Hema Malini

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†3565 ANSWERED ON 15.07.2019

## DEVELOPMENT OF KRISHNA CIRCUIT

## †3565. SHRIMATI HEMA MALINI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- whether the Government is running a Swadesh Darshan Yojana for  developing  religious  tourism  in  the  country  under  which Krishna  Circuit  is  being  developed  in  which  focus  is  being given on removing infrastructural shortcomings, improvement in  connectivity,  skill  development  and  training  as  well  as
- (a) security and safety of tourists;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  development  of  the  Krishna  Circuit  is  going  on and as per target set, it  is  likely  to  be  completed within  the stipulated time-frame; and
- (d)
- if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) to (d): Ministry of Tourism under its Swadesh Darshan SchemeIntegrated Development of Theme Based Tourist Circuits is developing  tourism  infrastructure  in  the  identified  circuits  across the  country,  having  tourism  potential,  in  a  planned  and  prioritized manner.  The  projects  under  the  scheme  are  sanctioned  with  the objective  of  improving  connectivity  and  infrastructure  of  tourism destinations  to  enrich  overall  tourist  experience  and  enhance employment opportunities.

Under the scheme, fifteen thematic circuits have been identified for development including themes covering all the religious/spiritual sites in the country. Krishna circuit is one of the thematic circuits identified for development  under the above scheme. The National Committee on Krishna Circuit has identified twelve destinations for development under Krishna Circuit, namely, Dwarka (Gujarat); Nathdwara, Jaipur & Sikar (Rajasthan); Kurukshetra (Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon  &  Govardhan  (Uttar  Pradesh) and Puri  (Odisha)  and  the concerned State Governments were advised to submit proposals for these  destinations.  Based  on  proposals  received  from  the  State Governments, the Ministry has sanctioned the following two projects under Krishna Circuit -

(Rs. in crore)

|   Sr. No. | State/ Year       | Project Name                                                                                              |   Amt. Sanctioned |   Amt. Released |
|-----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------|
|         1 | Haryana 2016-17   | Development of Tourism Infrastructures at places related to Mahabharata in Kurukshetra.                   |             97.35 |           70.6  |
|         2 | Rajasthan 2016-17 | Integrated Development of Govind Dev ji temple (Jaipur), Khatu Shyam Ji (Sikar) and Nathdwara (Rajsamand) |             91.45 |           45.72 |

In  addition  to  the  above,  the  Ministry  is  developing  tourism infrastructure  at  identified  pilgrimage  and  heritage  destinations under  its  PRASHAD  Scheme.  Mathura,  Puri  and  Dwarka  have  also been identified for development under this Scheme.  The details of projects sanctioned by the Ministry for these sites are as below:

(Rs. in crore)

|   Sr. No. | Project Name/ Year                                                         |   Amt. Sanctioned |   Amt. Released |
|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------|
|         1 | Development of Mathura-Vrindavan as Mega Tourist Circuit (Ph-II) (2014-15) |             14.93 |           10.38 |
|         2 | Construction of Tourist Facilitation Centre at Vrindavan, Distt. Mathura   |              9.36 |            7.36 |

|    | (2014-15)                                                                                                                     |       |       |
|----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|-------|
|  3 | Infrastructure Development at Puri, Shree Jagannath Dham- Ramachandi-Prachi River front at Deuli under Mega Circuit (2014-15) | 50    | 10    |
|  4 | Development of Dwarka (2016-17)                                                                                               | 26.23 |  6.85 |
|  5 | Development of Infrastructure facilities at Govardhan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh (2018-19)                                       | 39.74 |  0    |

All  the  projects  are  at  various  stages  of  implementation/ completion

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