Lok Sabha Question No. 2418 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-15
Subject: Promotion of Religious Tourism
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Verma, Shri Atul Garg

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2418

## ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025

## PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM

## 2418. SHRI ATUL GARG: SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  specific  policies  or schemes  to  promote  religious  tourism  while  ensuring  sustainable infrastructure and local community participation, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the impact of religious tourism on local economies, small businesses and employment generation in these hotspots;
- (c) whether the Government has taken steps to address challenges such as overcrowding, environmental degradation and infrastructure strain in high-footfall pilgrimage sites and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the role of digital platforms and  public-private partnerships in enhancing the religious tourism experience through better connectivity, hospitality and safety measures particularly in Ghaziabad, Samastipur and Khagaria Lok Sabha Constituencies?

## ANSWER

(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

- (a): Development  and  promotion  of  tourist  destinations  and  products including religious tourism is primarily undertaken by the respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration. The Ministry complements the  efforts  of  States/UTs  by  developing  tourism  infrastructure  through various schemes and initiatives in consultation with the State Governments/ UT Administrations.

The  Ministry  of  Tourism  under  the  'Pilgrimage  Rejuvenation  and Spiritual,  Heritage  Augmentation  Drive'  (PRASHAD)aims  to  enhance  the spiritual  and  pilgrimage  experience  by  holistically  developing  tourism infrastructure at pilgrimage and heritage sites. As on date, the Ministry has sanctioned  54  projects  in  28  States/UTs  with  an  estimated  cost  of

Rs.1726.74 Crores

In  addition,  under  the  Swadesh  Darshan  Scheme,  the  Ministry  of Tourism has sanctioned 76 projects at a total sanctioned cost of Rs.5290.33 Crore under various thematic circuits such as Spiritual circuits, Buddhist Circuits, Krishna Circuits, Tirthankar and other circuits.

The  Swadesh  Darshan  scheme  has  been  revamped  as  'Swadesh Darshan  2.0'  with  the  objective  to  develop  sustainable  and  responsible tourism destination. As on date, 53 projects have been sanctioned at a total sanctioned cost of Rs.2,208.27 Crore including projects in religious sites.

The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  issued  guidelines  for  'Challenge  Based Destination Development', a sub -scheme under Swadesh Darshan 2.0. Under this sub-scheme, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 36 projects  at a total  cost  of  Rs.648.11  Crore  under  different  categories  such  as  Spiritual Tourism, Culture & Heritage, etc.

Further,  the  Government  of  India  under  the  guidelines  for  Special Assistance  to  States/Union  Territories  for  Capital  Investment  (SASCI)  for Development  of  Iconic  Tourist  Centres  to  Global  Scale  has  approved  40 projects amounting to Rs.3295.76 Crore across 23 States, including projects at religious destinations.

The Ministry of Tourism under the Scheme of Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development also provides support to Central  Agencies  for  tourism  infrastructure  development  which  includes infrastructure development at sites of religious significance. Till date, a total of 66 projects have been sanctioned at a total sanctioned cost of Rs.948.78

Crore.

The details of the projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are given in the Annexure.

In addition, the Ministry of Tourism as part of its ongoing endeavour promotes various tourism destinations and products of the country including religious  tourism  through  promotional  activities  such  as  events,  website, social media promotions, fairs and festivals, etc.

(b) to (d): The Ministry of Tourism under its ongoing schemes undertakes tourist infrastructure development in an inclusive, integrated, and sustainable manner that focuses on livelihoods, skills, service delivery, etc. with a focus on employment generation through active involvement of the local communities.

To address challenges such as overcrowding and infrastructure strain in  high-footfall  pilgrimage  sites,  the  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  sanctioned various  pilgrim  amenities  such  as  Queue  management  complex,  Waiting halls,  Cloak  room,  Widening  of  approach  roads,  CCTVs  for  pilgrim  safety, Foot-over Bridges, Parking, Tourist Information Centre, basic amenities such as  toilets,  dustbins,  drinking  water  facilities,  and  other  site  development works such as benches, landscaping, flooring, etc.

In addition, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned various components at the pilgrimage sites to maintain environment sustainability such as solid waste management systems, sewage treatment plants, pet bottle flaking machines, e-vehicles, solar energy systems, waste segregation units, pious waste management, etc.

Further, the Ministry of Tourism emphasizes the State Governments/UT Administrations to prioritize carrying capacity, sustainable practices, clean energy  sources,  use  of  locally  available  material  for  construction  while formulating the DPRs.

Also, the Ministry of Tourism has approved various digital interventions/components across its sanctioned projects to enhance tourist experience. Some of the components includes AR/VR interpretation centres, virtual Darshan, Digital signages, tourist information apps, online booking platforms, smart parking solutions, etc. Safety and security components are also sanctioned to ensure safe and efficient movement  of  pilgrims during peak footfall. These  includes installation of CCTV surveillance systems, setting up of integrated command and control rooms, provision of fire safety mechanisms, etc. Further, the Ministry of Tourism encourages the State Governments/UT Administrations  to  ensure  sustainable  operation  and  management  of  the completed projects, including through public-private partnerships wherever required.

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STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2418 ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025 REGARDING PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS  TOURISM  RAISED  BY  SHRI  ATUL  GARG  AND  SHRI  RAJESH VERMA

## (i) List of Projects under PRASHAD Scheme in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

|   Sr. No. | State   | Name of the Project                                              |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in Crore) |
|-----------|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|         1 | Bihar   | Development at Patna Sahib                                       |                            29.62 |
|         2 | Bihar   | Development of basic facilities at Vishnupad temple, Gaya, Bihar |                             3.63 |
|         3 | Bihar   | Development of AmbikaBhawani Temple, Saran                       |                            13.29 |
|         4 | Uttar   | Development of Varanasi - Phase - I                              |                            18.73 |
|         5 | Pradesh | Development of Mathura-Vrindavan as Mega Tourist Circuit (Ph-II) |                            10.98 |
|         6 | Pradesh | River Cruise Tourism in Ganga, Varanasi                          |                             9.02 |
|         7 | Pradesh | Construction of Tourist Facilitation Centre at Vrindavan         |                             9.36 |
|         8 | Pradesh | Development of Varanasi - Phase - II                             |                            44.6  |
|         9 | Pradesh | Development of Infrastructure facilities at Govardhan            |                            37.59 |

## (ii) List  of  Projects  under  Swadesh  Darshan  Scheme  in  Bihar  and  Uttar Pradesh

|   Sr. No. | State   | Name of the Project                                                        |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in Crore) |
|-----------|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
|         1 | Bihar   | Development of Vaishali- Arrah- Masad- Patna- Rajgir- Pawapuri- Champapuri |                            33.96 |

|   2. |               | Development of Kanwaria Route: Sultanganj - Dharmshala- Deoghar                                                                                                                          |   44.76 |
|------|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
|    3 |               | Development of Buddhist circuit- Construction of Convention Centre at Bodhgaya                                                                                                           |   95.18 |
|    4 |               | Development of Bhitiharwa- Chandrahia- Turkaulia                                                                                                                                         |   44.27 |
|    5 |               | Development of Mandar Hill &Ang Pradesh                                                                                                                                                  |   44.55 |
|    6 | Uttar Pradesh | Development of Srawasti, Kushinagar, &Kapilwastu                                                                                                                                         |   87.89 |
|    7 |               | Development of Chitrakoot and Shringverpur                                                                                                                                               |   69.45 |
|    8 |               | Development of Ahar-Aligarh-Kasganj-Sarosi (Unnao)-Pratapgarh- Kausambi-Mirzapur- Gorakhpur-Domariyaganj-Basti-Barabanki- Azamgarh-Kairana- Baghpat- Shahjahanpur                        |   71.91 |
|    9 |               | Development of Bijnor- Meerut- Kanpur- Kanpur Dehat- Banda- Ghazipur- Salempur- Ghosi- Balia- Ambedkar Nagar- Aligarh- Fatehpur- Deoria- Mahoba- Sonbhadra- Chandauli- Mishrikh- Bhadohi |   67.51 |
|   10 |               | Development of Kalinjar Fort (Banda)- MagharDham (SantKabir Nagar)- ChauriChaura, Shaheed Sthal (Fatehpur)- MahuarshaheedSthal (Ghosi)- Shaheed Smarak (Meerut)                          |   36.65 |
|   11 |               | Development of Ayodhya                                                                                                                                                                   |  127.21 |
|   12 |               | Development of Jewar-Dadri-Sikandrabad- Noida-Khurja-Banda                                                                                                                               |   12.03 |
|   13 |               | Development of Gorakhnath Temple (Gorakhpur), Devipattan Temple (Balrampur) and Vatvashni Temple (Domariyagunj)                                                                          |   18.3  |

## (iii) List of Projects under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

|   Sr. No | State   | Name of the Project                                                   |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. Crore) |
|----------|---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|        1 | Bihar   | Development of the Buddhist Meditation & Experience Centre, Bodh Gaya |                        165.44 |
|        2 | Uttar   | Azad Park and DekhoPrayagraj Trail Exp                                |                         14.52 |
|        3 | Pradesh | Vedic- wellness Experience                                            |                         17.8  |

## (iv) List of Projects under CBDD Scheme in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

|   Sr. No. | State         | Name of the Project                                            |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. Crore) |
|-----------|---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|         1 | Bihar         | Development of Tourist Facilities at SonepurMela Ground, Saran |                         24.29 |
|         2 | Uttar Pradesh | Development of Cultural Landscape at Mahoba                    |                         24.98 |

## (v) List of Projects under SASCI Scheme in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

|   Sr. No. | State         | Name of the Project                                  |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. Crore) |
|-----------|---------------|------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|         1 | Bihar         | Development of Matsyagandha Lake in Saharsa          |                         97.61 |
|         2 | Bihar         | Karamchat Eco-Tourism and Adventure Hub in Karamchat |                         49.51 |
|         3 | Uttar Pradesh | Development of Bateshwar in District-Agra            |                         74.05 |
|         4 | Uttar Pradesh | Integrated Buddhist Tourism Development in Shrawasti |                         80.24 |

## (vi) List of Projects under Assistance to Central Agencies for Infrastructure Development in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

|   Sr. No. | State         | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                      |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. Crore) |
|-----------|---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
|         1 | Bihar         | 3D Mapping with Aqua Screen Projection and Sound Show at Buxar, Bihar and Dynamic Lighting & Motif at Ram RekhaGhat, Bihar                               |                          5.99 |
|         2 | Bihar         | Gaya Railway Station                                                                                                                                     |                          5.18 |
|         3 | Uttar Pradesh | Illumination of monuments in Varanasi/Sarnath (Dhamekh Stupa in SarnathChaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath, Tomb of Lalkan in Sarnath and Man Mahal in Banaras). |                          5.12 |
|         4 | Uttar Pradesh | Illumination of three monuments in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh- 1.DashashwamedhGhat to DarbhangaGhat (stretch of 300 m) 2.TulsiManasMandir 3. Sarnath Museum |                          2.94 |
|         5 | Uttar Pradesh | Rai-Bareilly Railway Station                                                                                                                             |                          4.44 |
|         6 | Uttar Pradesh | Agra Cantt. Railway Station                                                                                                                              |                          5.05 |

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