Lok Sabha Question No. 2335 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Religious Sites under PRASHAD Scheme
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Devji Mansingram Patel, Unmesh Bhaiyyasaheb Patil, Heena Vijaykumar Gavit, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, Krishna Pal Singh Yadav, Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadiya, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Ranjeetsingh Naik Nimbalkar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2335 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## RELIGIOUS SITES UNDER PRASHAD SCHEME

## 2335.SHRI DEVJI M. PATEL:

SHRI UNMESH BHAIYYASAHEB PATIL:

DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT:

DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE:

PROF. RITA BAHUGUNA JOSHI:

DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL:

DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV:

SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI RANJEETSINGH NAIK NIMBALKAR:

SHRI SUDHAKAR TUKARAM SHRANGARE:

SHRI DILIP SAIKIA:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps for rejuvenation of religious  sites  for  boosting  tourism  in  the  country  and  if  so,  the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  progressed  with  the  Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)
- the list of sites under PRASHAD since its inception, State-wise;
- (d) the detailed account of the initiatives implemented by the Ministry of Tourism over the past five years to enhance tourism promotion;
- and
- (e) the quantifiable benefits and achievements realized by the tourism
- sector as a result of these initiatives?

## ANSWER

(SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM

(a) to (c): The  Ministry  of  Tourism,  under  its  'Pilgrimage  Rejuvenation and  Spiritual  Heritage  Augmentation  Drive'  (PRASHAD),  and  'Swadesh Darshan' Schemes provides financial assistance to State Governments and Union Territory Administrations for the development of infrastructure at tourist destinations, including religious sites across the country.  The  Ministry  has  sanctioned  a  total  of  46  projects  under

PRASHAD and 76 projects under Swadesh Darshan Scheme. The statewise details of projects sanctioned under PRASHAD scheme is annexed.

- (d) to (e): The  details  of  initiatives  implemented  by  the  Ministry  of Tourism over the past five years to enhance tourism promotion include the following:
- i. Development of tourism related infrastructure is being carried out through projects sanctioned under the 'Swadesh Darshan', 'National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)' and 'Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development' Schemes.
- ii. The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  revamped  its  Swadesh  Darshan Scheme  as  Swadesh  Darshan  2.0  (SD2.0)  with  the  objective  to develop sustainable and responsible destinations following a tourist & destination centric approach.
- iii. Financial assistance has been provided to the State Governments/UT  Administrations  for  organizing  fairs/festivals  & tourism  related  events  under  Domestic  Promotion  &  Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) Scheme.
- iv. Launched Dekho  Apna  Desh  initiative with the objective to encourage citizens to travel within the country.
- Thematic  tourism  like  wellness  tourism,  culinary  tourism,  rural, eco-tourism  etc.,  amongst  other  niche  subjects  are  vigorously promoted so as to expand the scope of tourism into other sectors
- v. as well.
- vi. Launched Travel for Life (TFL) programme under overall mission for life initiative of Government of India.
- vii. Providing facility of e-Visa for 7 sub-categories i.e., e-Tourist Visa, e-Business  Visa,  e-Medical  Visa,  e-Medical  Attendant  Visa,  eConference Visa, e-Ayush Visa and e-Ayush Attendant Visa for the nationals of 167 countries.
- viii. Lowering of GST on hotels rooms with tariffs of ₹1,001 to ₹7,500/night  to  12%;  those  above  ₹7,501  to  18%  to  increase India's competitiveness as a tourism destination
- ix. Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with Ministry of Civil Aviation under their RCS-UDAN Scheme. Various tourism routes have been operationalized to improve air connectivity to tourist destinations in the country.
- x. Ministry  of  Tourism  is  running  Pan-India  Incredible  India  Tourist Facilitator  Certification  Program,  a  digital  initiative  that  aims  at
- creating an Online learning platform with the objective of creating a pool of well trained and professional Tourist Facilitators/Guides across  the  country  and  generating  employment  opportunities  at local level.
- xi. Conducting  Programmes  under  the  'Capacity  Building  for  Service Providers'  (CBSP)  Scheme  to  train  and  up-grade  manpower  to provide better service standards.
- xii. The National Integrated Database of Hospitality Industry (NIDHI) is a technology driven system, which is to facilitate digitalization and promote  ease  of  doing  business  for  hospitality  &  tourism  sector. This initiative has been upgraded as NIDHI+ to have  more inclusivity,  that  is,  of  not  only  Accommodation  Units,  but  also Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Tourist Transport Operators, Food & Beverage Units, Online Travel Aggregators, Convention Centres and Tourist Facilitators.

The initiatives have resulted in increase of visitors across the country, details  of  domestic  Tourist  Visits  (DTVs)  and  Foreign  Tourist  Visits (FTVs) during the last five years are as given below:-

(Figure in Lakh)

| Year   | DTV     | FTV   | Growth rate %   | Growth rate %   |
|--------|---------|-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|        |         |       | DTV             | FTV             |
| 2018   | 18537.8 | 288.5 | 11.84           | 7.31            |
| 2019   | 23219.8 | 314.1 | 25.26           | 8.86            |
| 2020   | 6102.2  | 71.7  | -73.72          | -77.17          |
| 2021   | 6776.3  | 10.5  | 11.05           | -85.29          |
| 2022   | 17310.1 | 85.9  | 155.45          | 714.26          |

Source: State /UTs Tourism Department

*******

ANNEXURE

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2335 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023 REGARDING RELIGIOUS SITES  UNDER  PRASHAD  SCHEME  BY  SHRI  DEVJI  M.  PATEL,  SHRI UNMESH BHAIYYASAHEB PATIL, DR. HEENA VIJAYKUMAR GAVIT, DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, PROF. RITA BAHUGUNA JOSHI, DR. SUJAY RADHAKRISHNA VIKHE PATIL, DR. KRISHNA PAL SINGH YADAV, SHRI NARANBHAI KACHHADIYA, SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, SHRI RANJEETSINGH NAIK NIMBALKAR, SHRI SUDHAKAR TUKARAM SHRANGARE AND SHRI DILIP SAIKIA

## List of approved projects under PRASHAD Scheme

(Rs. in Crore)

| State/UT          |   S. No. | Project Name                                                                               | Sanction Year   |   Approved Cost | Physical Progress%   |
|-------------------|----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------------|
|                   |        1 | Development of Amaravati Town, Guntur District as a Tourist Destination                    | 2015-16         |           27.77 | Complete             |
| Andhra            |        2 | Development of Srisailam Temple                                                            | 2017-18         |           43.08 | Complete             |
| Pradesh           |        3 | Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narsimha Swami Vari Devasthanam at Simhachalam in Vishakhapatnam Temple | 2022-23         |           54.04 | 0%                   |
| Arunachal Pradesh |        4 | Development of Parshuram Kund, Lohit Distt.                                                | 2020-21         |           37.88 | 37%                  |
| Assam             |        5 | Development of Kamakhya Temple and Pilgrimage Destination in and around Guwahati.          | 2015-16         |           29.8  | Complete             |
|                   |        6 | Development at Patna Sahib                                                                 | 2015-16         |           41.54 | Complete             |
| Bihar             |        7 | Development of basic facilities at Vishnupad temple, Gaya, Bihar                           | 2014-15         |            4.27 | Complete             |

| Chhattisgarh      |   8 | Development of Maa Bamleshwari Devi Temple, Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon District, Chhattisgarh   | 2020-21   |   43.33 | 55%      |
|-------------------|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|---------|----------|
|                   |   9 | Development of Dwarka                                                                        | 2016-17   |   13.08 | Complete |
|                   |  10 | Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Somnath                                               | 2016-17   |   45.36 | Complete |
| Gujarat           |  11 | Development of Promenade at Somnath                                                          | 2018-19   |   47.12 | Complete |
|                   |  12 | Development of Pilgrim Plaza with Queue management complex at Somnath Gujarat                | 2021-22   |   49.97 | 0%       |
|                   |  13 | Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Ambaji Temple, Banaskantha, Gujarat                  | 2022-23   |   50    | 5%       |
| Haryana           |  14 | Development of Mata Mansa and Nada Saheb Gurudwara Devi Temple in Panchkula District         | 2019-20   |   48.53 | 72%      |
| Jammu and Kashmir |  15 | Development at Hazratbal Shrine, Srinagar                                                    | 2016-17   |   40.46 | 90%      |
| Jharkhand         |  16 | Development of Baba Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar                                                 | 2018-19   |   39.13 | Complete |
| Karnataka         |  17 | Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Temple, Mysuru                | 2023-24   |   45.71 | 0%       |
| Kerala            |  18 | Development at Guruvayur Temple                                                              | 2016-17   |   45.19 | Complete |
| Madhya            |  19 | Development of Amarkantak                                                                    | 2020-21   |   49.99 | 31%      |
| Pradesh           |  20 | Development of Omkareshwar                                                                   | 2017-18   |   43.93 | Complete |

| Maharashtra   |   21 | Development of Trimbakeshwar, Nashik                                                                                   | 2017-18   |   52.92 | 62%      |
|---------------|------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|---------|----------|
| Meghalaya     |   22 | Development of Pilgrimage Facilitation in Meghalaya                                                                    | 2020-21   |   29.32 | 80%      |
| Mizoram       |   23 | Development of Infrastructure for Pilgrimage and Heritage Tourism in the State of Mizoram                              | 2022-23   |   44.89 | 0%       |
| Nagaland      |   24 | Development of Pilgrimage Infrastructure in Nagaland                                                                   | 2018-19   |   25.26 | 76%      |
| Nagaland      |   25 | Development of Pilgrimage Tourism Infrastructure at Zunheboto                                                          | 2022-23   |   18.18 | 10%      |
| Odisha        |   26 | Infrastructure Development at Puri, Shree Jagannath Dham - Ramachandi - Prachi River front at Deuli under Mega Circuit | 2014-15   |   50    | 27%      |
| Punjab        |   27 | Development of Karuna Sagar Valmiki Sthal at Amritsar                                                                  | 2015-16   |    6.4  | Complete |
| Punjab        |   28 | Development of Chamkaur Sahib at Rupar, Punjab                                                                         | 2021-22   |   31.57 | 26%      |
| Rajasthan     |   29 | Integrated Development of Pushkar/Ajmer                                                                                | 2015-16   |   32.64 | 92%      |
| Sikkim        |   30 | Development of Pilgrimage Facilitation at Four Patron Saints, Yuksom                                                   | 2020-21   |   33.32 | 38%      |
| Tamil Nadu    |   31 | Development of Kanchipuram                                                                                             | 2016-17   |   13.99 | Complete |
| Tamil Nadu    |   32 | Development of Velankanni                                                                                              | 2016-17   |    4.86 | Complete |

| Telangana     |   33 | Development of Jogulamba Devi Temple, Alampur                                                         | 2020-21   |   36.73 | 52%      |
|---------------|------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|---------|----------|
| Telangana     |   34 | Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Tourism Infrastructure at Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, Mulugu | 2022-23   |   62    | 0%       |
| Telangana     |   35 | Development of Pilgrimage Infrastructure at Bhadrachalam, Bhadradri Kothagudem District               | 2022-23   |   41.38 | 0%       |
| Tripura       |   36 | Development of Tripura Sundari Temple, Udaipur                                                        | 2020-21   |   37.8  | 50%      |
|               |   37 | Development of Varanasi -Phase -I                                                                     | 2015-16   |   18.72 | Complete |
|               |   38 | Development of Mathura-Vrindavan as Mega Tourist Circuit (Ph-II)                                      | 2014-15   |   10.98 | Complete |
|               |   39 | River Cruise Tourism in Ganga, Varanasi                                                               | 2017-18   |    9.02 | Complete |
| Uttar Pradesh |   40 | Construction of Tourist Facilitation Centre at Vrindavan                                              | 2014-15   |    9.36 | Complete |
|               |   41 | Development of Varanasi - Phase II                                                                    | 2017-18   |   44.6  | Complete |
|               |   42 | Development of Infrastructure facilities at Govardhan                                                 | 2018-19   |   39.74 | 94%      |
| Uttarakhand   |   43 | Integrated Development of Kedarnath                                                                   | 2015-16   |   34.77 | Complete |

|             |   44 | Development of Infrastructure for Pilgrimage Facilitation in Badrinath Ji Dham       | 2018-19   |   56.15 | 62%   |
|-------------|------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|---------|-------|
|             |   45 | Augmentation of Pilgrimage Infrastructure Facilities and Gangotri and Yamunotri Dham | 2021-22   |   54.36 | 20%   |
| West Bengal |   46 | Development of Belur Math                                                            | 2016-17   |   30.03 | 92%   |

*******