Lok Sabha Question No. 2164 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-05
Subject: Ramayana Circuit
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Dr. Alok Kumar Suman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2164 ANSWERED ON 05.08.2024

## RAMAYANA CIRCUIT

## 2164 DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any proposal to include more destination in Ramayana Circuit in near future;
- (b) if so, the details thereof in regard to Bihar State;
- (c) the details of locations of Bihar which are supposed to be included in this initiative;
- (d) whether some foreign destinations will also be the part of this initiative; and
- (e) whether the Government proposes to include Thawe Peeth Temple of District Gopalganj under the Ramayana Circuit, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

- (a)  to  (e):    The  Ministry  of  Tourism  through  its  ongoing  central  sector schemes  of  'Swadesh  Darshan  (SD)'  and  'Pilgrimage  Rejuvenation  and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)' complements the efforts of  tourism infrastructure development  by extending  financial  assistance to the State Governments/UT  Administrations in line with the  scheme guidelines  and    in    consultation  with  them.    Under  the  Swadesh  Darshan scheme,  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  sanctioned  two  projects  in  Ramayana Circuit theme, as per the details given below:-

## (Amount in ₹ crore)

|   Sl. No. | State/UT      | Theme/Year of Sanction     | Project Name                               |   Amount Sanctioned |
|-----------|---------------|----------------------------|--------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|         1 | Uttar Pradesh | Ramayana Circuit/ 2016-17  | Development of Chitrakoot and Shringverpur |               69.45 |
|         2 | Uttar Pradesh | Ramayana Circuit / 2017-18 | Development of Ayodhya                     |              127.21 |

The Ministry under SD sanctioned 4 projects in Bihar, as per the details given below:-

(Amount in ₹ crore)

|   Sl. No. | Theme/ Year of Sanction     | Project Name                                                                  |   Amount Sanctioned |
|-----------|-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|         1 | Tirthankar Circuit/ 2016-17 | Development of Vaishali- Arrah- Masad- Patna- Rajgir- Pawapuri- Champapuri    |               33.96 |
|         2 | Spiritual Circuit/ 2016-17  | Development of Kanwaria Route                                                 |               44.76 |
|         3 | Buddhist Circuit/ 2016-17   | Development of Buddhist circuit-Construction of Convention Centre at Bodhgaya |               95.18 |
|         4 | Rural Circuit 2017-18       | Development of Bhitiharwa- Chandrahia- Turkaulia                              |               44.27 |

Under its PRASHAD scheme, Ministry has sanctioned 02 Projects in the State of Bihar as per the details given below:-

(Rs. in Crore)

|   Sl. No. | Year of Sanction   | Project Name                                        |   Amount Sanctioned |
|-----------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|---------------------|
|         1 | 2015-16            | Development at Patna Sahib                          |               41.54 |
|         2 | 2014-15            | Development of basic facilities at Vishnupad temple |                3.63 |

The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  recently  revamped  the  Swadesh  Darshan Scheme  as  Swadesh  Darshan  2.0  (SD2.0)  with  the  objective  to  develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, following a destination & tourism-centric  approach.  In  consultation  with  the  States/UTs  and  in  line with  the  scheme  guidelines,  the  Ministry  has  accordingly  identified  57 destinations in the country for development under SD 2.0 including 'Gaya' & 'Nalanda' in Bihar. Further, the Ministry of Tourism has also issued guidelines for 'Challenge Based Destination Development' (CBDD), a sub-scheme under Swadesh Darshan 2.0, under which the Ministry of Tourism has identified 42 destinations for development  including 'Bhagalpur' and 'Saran District (Sonepur Fair)' in the State of Bihar. There is no proposal under consideration of the Ministry of Tourism to include foreign destinations under this initiative.

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