Lok Sabha Question No. 7 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-04
Subject: Ongoing Projects to Promote Pilgrim Tourism
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: T.N. Prathapan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.7 ANSWERED ON 04.12.2023

## ONGOING PROJECTS TO PROMOTE PILGRIM TOURISM

7. SHRI T.N. PRATHAPAN:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  tourism  Ministry  is  contemplating  to  launch pilgrim tourism circuits in various parts of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the number of ongoing projects which are currently in place to promote pilgrim tourism in the country;
- the  number  of  pilgrims  traveling  across  States  for  religious
- (c) journeys;
- (d) whether  the  Government  is  planning  to  establish  a  pilgrim tourism  circuit  that  connects  significant  religious  sites  such as  the  Sreekrishna  Temple  in  Guruvayur,  Vadakkumnathan Temple in Thrissur, Palayur Church, Koodalmanikyam Temple in  Irinjalakkuda, Bhagavati Temple in Kodungallur, Cheraman Juma  Masjid in Kodungallur, Sreeramaswamy  Temple  in Thriprayar, etc.; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

(a)  to  (e):  Ministry  of  Tourism,  under  its    schemes  viz.  'SWADESH DARSHAN', 'PRASHAD' (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) and 'Assistance to Central Agencies' provides financial assistance to the State Governments and Union Territories Administrations (UTA) for development of infrastructure at  tourism  destinations  including  pilgrimage  sites  in  the  country. The projects under the schemes are identified in consultation with the  State/UT  Administration/  Central  Agencies  and  are  subject  to adherence  to  the  scheme's  guidelines,  availability  of  funds  and status of ongoing projects.

A total of 76 projects have been sanctioned under 'SWADESH DARSHAN',  46  projects  under  'PRASHAD'  and  38  projects  under 'Assistance to Central Agencies' Schemes respectively by Ministry of Tourism. The  Ministry  does  not  maintain  data  on  pilgrims  travelling across state for  religious  journeys.  However,  details  of  State-wise Domestic  Tourist  Visits  (DTVs)  and  Foreign  Tourist  Visits  (FTVs) during 2018-2022 are annexed at Annexure-I. The details of Projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism under  the  above-mentioned  schemes  in  the  State  of  Kerala  are annexed at Annexure-II.

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STATEMENT IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED  QUESTION NO.7 ANSWERED ON 04.12.2023 REGARDING ONGOING PROJECTS TO PROMOTE PILGRIM TOURISM BY SHRI T.N. PRATHAPAN.

Details of State-wise Domestic Tourist Visits (DTVs) and Foreign Tourist Visits (FTVs) during 2018-2022

(in Lakhs)

| States/UTs                                                                     | 2018                                                                           | 2018                                                                           | 2019                                                                           | 2019                                                                           | 2020                                                                           | 2020                                                                           | 2021                                                                           | 2021                                                                           | 2022                                                                           | 2022                                                                           |
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| States/UTs                                                                     | DTV                                                                            | FTV                                                                            | DTV                                                                            | FTV                                                                            | DTV                                                                            | FTV                                                                            | DTV                                                                            | FTV                                                                            | DTV                                                                            | FTV                                                                            |
| Andaman & Nicobar Islands                                                      | 4.98                                                                           | 0.15                                                                           | 5.05                                                                           | 0.16                                                                           | 1.91                                                                           | 0.05                                                                           | 1.26                                                                           | 0.02                                                                           | 2.35                                                                           | 0.04                                                                           |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                                 | 1947.68                                                                        | 2.81                                                                           | 2370.52                                                                        | 2.80                                                                           | 708.29                                                                         | 0.68                                                                           | 932.78                                                                         | 0.28                                                                           | 1927.17                                                                        | 1.66                                                                           |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                              | 5.12                                                                           | 0.08                                                                           | 5.56                                                                           | 0.08                                                                           | 0.43                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           | 1.03                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 2.22                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           |
| Assam                                                                          | 47.11                                                                          | 0.16                                                                           | 54.48                                                                          | 0.27                                                                           | 12.67                                                                          | 0.07                                                                           | 14.09                                                                          | 0.01                                                                           | 83.82                                                                          | 0.09                                                                           |
| Bihar                                                                          | 336.22                                                                         | 10.88                                                                          | 339.90                                                                         | 10.93                                                                          | 56.38                                                                          | 3.08                                                                           | 25.01                                                                          | 0.01                                                                           | 253.30                                                                         | 0.87                                                                           |
| Chandigarh                                                                     | 15.39                                                                          | 0.40                                                                           | 15.64                                                                          | 0.44                                                                           | 4.18                                                                           | 0.12                                                                           | 2.29                                                                           | 0.05                                                                           | 30.27                                                                          | 0.28                                                                           |
| Chhattisgarh                                                                   | 193.30                                                                         | 0.14                                                                           | 173.05                                                                         | 0.07                                                                           | 28.10                                                                          | 0.02                                                                           | 47.47                                                                          | 0.00                                                                           | 236.36                                                                         | 0.00                                                                           |
| UT of Dadra & Nagar Haveli &                                                   | 15.08                                                                          | 0.07                                                                           | 15.16                                                                          | 0.07                                                                           | 4.02                                                                           | 0.02                                                                           | 6.61                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 8.00                                                                           | 0.02                                                                           |
| Daman & Diu                                                                    |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |                                                                                |
| Delhi                                                                          | 291.14                                                                         | 27.41                                                                          | 364.68                                                                         | 29.83                                                                          | 95.84                                                                          | 6.81                                                                           | 106.42                                                                         | 1.00                                                                           | 271.86                                                                         | 8.16                                                                           |
| Goa                                                                            | 70.82                                                                          | 9.34                                                                           | 71.27                                                                          | 9.37                                                                           | 32.59                                                                          | 3.03                                                                           | 33.08                                                                          | 0.22                                                                           | 70.12                                                                          | 1.75                                                                           |
| Gujarat                                                                        | 543.70                                                                         | 5.13                                                                           | 588.65                                                                         | 5.96                                                                           | 194.65                                                                         | 2.10                                                                           | 245.25                                                                         | 0.11                                                                           | 1358.11                                                                        | 17.77                                                                          |
| Haryana                                                                        | 48.89                                                                          | 0.74                                                                           | 45.49                                                                          | 0.48                                                                           | 21.15                                                                          | 0.17                                                                           | 20.25                                                                          | 0.05                                                                           | 21.08                                                                          | 0.02                                                                           |
| Himachal Pradesh                                                               | 160.94                                                                         | 3.57                                                                           | 168.29                                                                         | 3.83                                                                           | 31.71                                                                          | 0.43                                                                           | 56.32                                                                          | 0.05                                                                           | 150.71                                                                         | 0.29                                                                           |
| Jammu & Kashmir                                                                | 170.76                                                                         | 1.40                                                                           | 161.63                                                                         | 0.58                                                                           | 25.20                                                                          | 0.05                                                                           | 113.15                                                                         | 0.02                                                                           | 184.99                                                                         | 0.20                                                                           |
| Jharkhand                                                                      | 354.09                                                                         | 1.76                                                                           | 355.81                                                                         | 1.76                                                                           | 25.75                                                                          | 0.00                                                                           | 33.84                                                                          | 0.02                                                                           | 382.84                                                                         | 1.92                                                                           |
| Karnataka                                                                      | 2143.06                                                                        | 5.44                                                                           | 2279.35                                                                        | 6.09                                                                           | 774.53                                                                         | 1.65                                                                           | 813.34                                                                         | 0.72                                                                           | 1824.13                                                                        | 1.29                                                                           |
| Kerala                                                                         | 156.05                                                                         | 10.96                                                                          | 183.84                                                                         | 11.90                                                                          | 49.89                                                                          | 3.41                                                                           | 75.38                                                                          | 0.60                                                                           | 188.67                                                                         | 3.46                                                                           |
| Laksha- dweep                                                                  | 0.10                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           | 0.07                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           | 0.03                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 0.14                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 0.23                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                                 | 839.70                                                                         | 3.75                                                                           | 887.07                                                                         | 3.28                                                                           | 235.20                                                                         | 1.00                                                                           | 255.54                                                                         | 0.42                                                                           | 358.49                                                                         | 2.04                                                                           |
| Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 | Maharashtra 1191.92 50.79 1492.95 55.29 392.35 12.62 435.69 1.86 1112.98 15.12 |
| Manipur                                                                        | 1.76                                                                           | 0.06                                                                           | 1.68                                                                           | 0.14                                                                           | 0.50                                                                           | 0.03                                                                           | 0.49                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           | 1.40                                                                           | 0.04                                                                           |
| Meghalaya                                                                      | 11.98                                                                          | 0.18                                                                           | 12.46                                                                          | 0.26                                                                           | 0.25                                                                           | 0.02                                                                           | 1.54                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 9.37                                                                           | 0.08                                                                           |
| Mizoram                                                                        | 0.77                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           | 1.64                                                                           | 0.02                                                                           | 0.31                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 0.87                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 2.18                                                                           | 0.03                                                                           |
| Nagaland                                                                       | 1.02                                                                           | 0.05                                                                           | 1.26                                                                           | 0.06                                                                           | 0.11                                                                           | 0.01                                                                           | 0.24                                                                           | 0.00                                                                           | 0.97                                                                           | 0.03                                                                           |

| States/UTs    | 2018          | 2018   | 2019    | 2019   | 2020                     | 2020   | 2021    | 2021   | 2022    | 2022   |
|---------------|---------------|--------|---------|--------|--------------------------|--------|---------|--------|---------|--------|
|               | DTV           | FTV    | DTV     | FTV    | DTV                      | FTV    | DTV     | FTV    | DTV     | FTV    |
| Odisha        | 152.09        | 1.11   | 153.08  | 1.15   | 46.22                    | 0.10   | 37.42   | 0.02   | 78.68   | 0.22   |
| Puducherry    | 16.17         | 1.41   | 17.13   | 1.50   | 11.15                    | 0.92   | 12.53   | 0.00   | 17.60   | 0.01   |
| Punjab        | 445.95        | 12.01  | 473.85  | 11.01  | 166.92                   | 3.59   | 266.40  | 3.08   | 260.89  | 3.29   |
| Rajasthan     | 502.36        | 17.54  | 522.20  | 16.06  | 151.17                   | 4.46   | 219.89  | 0.35   | 1083.28 | 3.97   |
| Sikkim        | 14.26         | 0.71   | 14.22   | 1.33   | 3.16                     | 0.20   | 5.12    | 0.12   | 16.26   | 0.69   |
| Tamil Nadu    | 3859.09       | 60.74  | 4948.65 |        | 68.661406.5112.281153.37 |        |         | 0.58   | 2185.85 | 4.07   |
| Tripura       | 4.14          | 1.03   | 4.37    | 1.54   | 1.28                     | 0.32   | 1.78    | 0.00   | 2.36    | 0.08   |
| Telangana     | 928.78        | 3.18   | 830.36  | 3.23   | 399.97                   | 0.47   | 320.01  | 0.06   | 607.48  | 0.68   |
| Uttar Pradesh | 2850.80       | 37.81  | 5358.55 | 47.45  | 861.22                   | 8.91   | 1097.08 | 0.45   | 3179.14 | 6.49   |
| Uttarakhand   | 356.10        | 1.51   | 375.86  | 1.52   | 70.05                    | 0.41   | 194.34  | 0.09   | 546.43  | 0.62   |
| West Bengal   | 856.57        | 16.17  | 923.66  | 16.56  | 288.42                   | 4.63   | 243.26  | 0.35   | 845.42  | 10.37  |
| Ladakh        | 0.00          | 0.00   | 2.41    | 0.39   | 0.07                     | 0.01   | 3.03    | 0.01   | 5.10    | 0.21   |
| Total         | 18537.9 288.5 |        | 23219.8 | 314.1  | 6102.2                   | 71.7   | 6776.3  | 10.5   | 17310.1 | 85.9   |

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## ANNEXURE-II

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.7  ANSWERED  ON  04.12.2023  REGARDING  ONGOING PROJECTS TO PROMOTE PILGRIM TOURISM BY SHRI T.N. PRATHAPAN.

Details of the projects sanctioned under various schemes of Ministry of Tourism in the State of Kerala

(Amt. in Cr.)

|   S. No. | Name of Scheme                 | Sanction Year   | Project                                                                                                                                            |   Amt. Sanctioned |
|----------|--------------------------------|-----------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
|        1 |                                | 2015-16         | Eco Circuit: Development of Pathanamthitta- Gavi- Vagamon- Thekkady                                                                                |             64.08 |
|        2 | 2016-17                        |                 | Spiritual Circuit: Development of Sabrimala - Erumeli-Pampa- Sannidhanam.                                                                          |             47.74 |
|        3 | Swadesh 2016-17                |                 | Spiritual Circuit: Development of Sree Padmanabha Temple, Aranmula                                                                                 |             78.08 |
|        4 | Darshan                        | 2018-19         | Spiritual Circuit: Development Sivagiri Sree Narayana Guru Ashram- Arruvipuram- Kunnumpara Sree Subrahmania- Chembazhanthi Sree Narayana Gurukulam |             66.42 |
|        5 |                                | 2018-19         | Rural Circuit: Development of Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism Project                                                                               |             57.35 |
|        6 | PRASHAD                        | 2016-17         | Development at Guruvayur Temple                                                                                                                    |             45.19 |
|        7 | ASSISTANCE TO CENTRAL AGENCIES | 2016-17         | Development of a Walkway/Promenade on Willingdon Island, Cochin, Kerala                                                                            |              9.01 |
|        8 |                                | 2016-17         | Central Financial Assistance                                                                                                                       |             21.41 |

|    |         | for upgrading of Births & Backup area of Ernakulam Wharf                                             |       |
|----|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------|
|    | 2016-17 | Project for Up-gradation of Golf Course at SAI Trivandrum Golf Club by the Sports Authority of India | 24.64 |
|    | 2018-19 | Developing infrastructure at Cochin Port Cruise Terminal.                                            |  1.2  |
| 11 | 2018-19 | Creation of additional tourism facilities at the Cochin north Trust Walkway                          |  4.66 |
| 12 | 2019-20 | CFA for Development of Additional infrastructure in the new Cochin Port Trust Terminal               | 10.29 |

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