Lok Sabha Question No. 3429 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-16
Subject: Tourism Promotion in Bundelkhand Region
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: Shri Anurag Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3429 ANSWERED ON 16.12.2024

## TOURISM PROMOTION IN BUNDELKHAND REGION

## 3429. SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  any  comprehensive  plan  to  leverage Bundelkhand's cultural and historical assets to boost tourism, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government  has  taken any initiatives to improve connectivity, provide better facilities for tourists, and  organize cultural  events  to  attract  domestic  and  international  visitors,  if  so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has any strategy to promote Bundelkhand as a key destination for heritage tourism, particularly emphasizing its Jain  temples  and  forts,  while  ensuring  the  preservation  of  these historical treasures, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the manner in which the tourism sector can be integrated with local industries to create  sustainable  livelihood  opportunities  for the people of Bundelkhand region?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF TOURISM             (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (d): The Ministry promotes various tourist destinations and products in the country including Cultural and Heritage Tourism in the Bundelkhand region. Promotion is done through various initiatives including promotional events, assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations, organizing  fairs  and  festivals,  participation  in  exhibitions,  website  and social media.

The Ministry had set up the "Incredible India" exhibition for the International  delegates  of  46 th   Session  of  World  Heritage  Committee Meeting, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi in July 2024.

Ministry  of  Tourism  through  its  domestic  tourism  offices  undertakes various activities such as Webinars, Quiz, Seminars, Tourism Promotional Events,  Fam  tours,  Heritage  walks  etc.  across  country  for  promotion  of Cultural and Heritage Tourism.

Ministry of Tourism launched Dekho Apna Desh People's Choice poll which aim to engage with citizens to identify most preferred tourist attractions across  5  tourism  categories  -  Spiritual,  Nature  &  Wildlife,  Adventure, Cultural & Heritage.

The Ministry of Tourism is providing financial assistance to State Governments/Union  Territory  Administrations/Central  Agencies  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 for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities.

The  Ministry  of  Tourism  has  recently  revamped  the  Swadesh  Darshan Scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0  (SD  2.0)  with  the  objective  to  develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, following a destination & tourism centric approach.

Under  'Scheme  for Special  Assistance  to  States/Union  Territories for Capital Investment (SASCI )' Government of India has recently sanctioned 40 Projects in the country for Rs.3295.76 Crore.

Ministry of Tourism has also been providing financial assistance to State Governments/UT Administrations including the State of Uttar Pradesh for organizing  fairs/festivals  and  tourism  related  events  under  its  Domestic Promotion & Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) Scheme.

Details  of  funds  sanctioned  under  the  aforesaid  schemes  for  the States  of  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Uttar  Pradesh  including  the  Bundelkhand region is at Annexure.

Ministry of Tourism coordinated with Ministry of Civil Aviation under their  Regional  Connectivity  Scheme  (RCS-Udan)  and  sharing  the  Viability Gap Funding (VGF) amount for 53 tourism routes identified for this purpose.

Ministry  of  Railways  have  issued  'Bharat  Gaurav  Trains'  policy  in November  2021  with  the  objective  to  showcase  India's  rich  cultural heritage  and  world  through  Bharat  Gaurav  Trains.  Damoh  and  Chitrakoot are  covered  in  some  of  the  tour  itineraries  of  Bharat  Gaurav  Trains.  In addition, tourist trains like Maharajas' Express and Deccan Odyssey attract inbound tourists from all over the world and cover places like Khajuraho and Orchha in some of their itineraries. Further,  the  Archaeological  Survey  of  India (ASI)  undertakes  the conservation,  preservation  including  maintenance  of  all  the  7  Centrally Protected Monuments in Bundelkhand region and they are in good state of preservation. Apart from this, ASI has also made its protected monuments visitor friendly and  provided all possible public facilities to attract them. Public amenities are available in most of the protected monuments of ASI. Regarding  preservation  of  the  protected  monuments,  the  work  of conservation  is  being  done  on  a  regular  basis  by  ASI. All  protected monuments including Jain temples and forts are regularly inspected by the archaeological team consisting of archaeologists, archaeological engineers,  conservation  assistants  and  other  field  experts.  The  team always keeps a proper vigil  towards the conservation of the monuments and as per the requirement the team identifies the conservation work of the  monuments and  undertakes  conservation  and  preservation works  as per the Archaeological norms and GFR guidelines. The Ministry of Tourism under its scheme of 'Capacity Building for Service Providers (CBSP)' conducts short term skill certification training programmes  through  various  institutes  across  the  country  in  order  to capitalize the vast tourism potential to the fullest and provide professional expertise  to  the  local  populace for  fresh  as  well  as  existing  service providers thus making the locals more employable.

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ANNEXURE

STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.3429  ANSWERED  ON  16.12.2024  REGARDING  TOURISM PROMOTION  IN  BUNDELKHAND  REGION  RAISED  BY  SHRI  ANURAG SHARMA

## Details of Projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan Scheme

|   S. No. | State/ UT      | Circuit / Sanction Year   | Name of the Project                                                                                                                                                  |   Amount Sanctioned (in Rs. crore) |
|----------|----------------|---------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
|        1 | Madhya Pradesh | Wildlife Circuit 2015-16  | Development of Wildlife Circuit at Panna- Mukundpur- Sanjay- Dubri-Bandhavgarh- Kanha- Mukki- Pench                                                                  |                              92.1  |
|        2 | Madhya Pradesh | Buddhist Circuit 2016-17  | Development of Sanchi-Satna- Rewa-Mandsaur-Dhar                                                                                                                      |                              74.02 |
|        3 | Madhya Pradesh | Heritage Circuit 2016-17  | Development of Gwalior - Orchha - Khajuraho - Chanderi - Bhimbetka - Mandu                                                                                           |                              89.82 |
|        4 | Madhya Pradesh | Eco Circuit 2017-18       | Development of Gandhisagar Dam- Mandleshwar Dam- Omkareshwar Dam- Indira Sagar Dam- Tawa Dam- Bargi Dam- BhedaGhat- Bansagar Dam- Ken River                          |                              93.76 |
|        5 | Uttar Pradesh  | Buddhist Circuit 2016-17  | Development of Srawasti, Kushinagar, &Kapilwastu                                                                                                                     |                              87.89 |
|        6 | Uttar Pradesh  | Ramayana Circuit 2016-17  | Development of Chitrakoot and Shringverpur                                                                                                                           |                              69.45 |
|        7 | Uttar Pradesh  | Spiritual Circuit 2016-17 | Development of Ahar-Aligarh- Kasganj-Sarosi (Unnao)- Pratapgarh- Kausambi- Mirzapur-Gorakhpur- Domariyaganj-Basti-Barabanki- Azamgarh-Kairana- Baghpat- Shahjahanpur |                              71.91 |
|        8 | Uttar Pradesh  | Spiritual Circuit         | Development of Bijnor- Meerut- Kanpur- Kanpur Dehat- Banda-                                                                                                          |                              67.51 |

|    |               | 2016-17                   | Ghazipur- Salempur- Ghosi- Balia- Ambedkar Nagar- Aligarh- Fatehpur- Deoria- Mahoba- Sonbhadra- Chandauli- Mishrikh- Bhadohi                                     |        |
|----|---------------|---------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|
|  9 | Uttar Pradesh | Heritage Circuit 2016-17  | Development of Kalinjar Fort (Banda)- Maghar Dham (Sant Kabir Nagar)- ChauriChaura, Shaheed Sthal(Fatehpur)- MahuarshaheedSthal (Ghosi)- Shaheed Smarak (Meerut) |  36.65 |
| 10 | Uttar Pradesh | Ramayana Circuit 2017-18  | Development of Ayodhya                                                                                                                                           | 127.21 |
| 11 | Uttar Pradesh | Spiritual Circuit 2018-19 | Development of Jewar-Dadri- Sikandrabad-Noida-Khurja- Banda                                                                                                      |  12.03 |
| 12 | Uttar Pradesh | Spiritual Circuit 2018-19 | Development of Gorakhnath Temple (Gorakhpur), Devipattan Temple (Balrampur) and Vatvashni Temple (Domariyagunj)                                                  |  18.3  |

## Details of Projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme

|   S. No. | State          | Destination   | Name of the Experience                  |   Sanctioned Cost (in Rs. crore) | Date of Sanction   |
|----------|----------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------|
|        1 | Madhya Pradesh | Gwalior       | Phoolbagh Experience Zone               |                            16.73 | 29-02-2024         |
|        2 | Madhya Pradesh | Chitrakoot    | Spiritual experience at Chitrakoot      |                            27.21 | 05-03-2024         |
|        3 | Uttar Pradesh  | Prayagraj     | Azad Park and Dekho Prayagraj Trail Exp |                            13.02 | 05-03-2024         |
|        4 | Uttar Pradesh  | Naimisaranya  | Vedic- wellness Experience              |                            15.94 | 05-03-2024         |

## Details of Projects sanctioned under PRASHAD Scheme

| State/UT       |   S. No. | Project Name                                                     | Sanction Year   |   Approved Cost (in Rs. crore) | District   |
|----------------|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|--------------------------------|------------|
| Madhya Pradesh |        1 | Development of Amarkantak                                        | 2020-21         |                          49.99 | Annupur    |
|                |        2 | Development of Omkareshwar                                       | 2017-18         |                          43.93 | Khandwa    |
| Uttar Pradesh  |        3 | Development of Varanasi - Phase - I                              | 2015-16         |                          18.73 | Varanasi   |
|                |        4 | Development of Mathura-Vrindavan as Mega Tourist Circuit (Ph-II) | 2014-15         |                          10.98 | Mathura    |
|                |        5 | Development of River Cruise Tourism at Varanasi                  | 2017-18         |                           9.02 | Varanasi   |
|                |        6 | Construction of Tourist Facilitation Centre at Vrindavan         | 2014-15         |                           9.36 | Mathura    |
|                |        7 | Development of Varanasi - Phase II                               | 2017-18         |                          44.6  | Varanasi   |
|                |        8 | Development of Infrastructure facilities at Govardhan            | 2018-19         |                          37.59 | Mathura    |

## Details  of  Projects  sanctioned  under  the  Scheme  Assistance  to  Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development

|   S. No | Name of State   | Year    | Name of Project                                                        | Agency       |   Amount sanctioned (in Lakh) |
|---------|-----------------|---------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------|-------------------------------|
|       1 | Madhya Pradesh  | 2020-21 | Tourism Infrastructure at Beltaal Lake, Damoh, Madhya Pradesh by ITDC. | ITDC         |                        2315.3 |
|       2 | Uttar Pradesh   | 2013-14 | Joint Development of Agra Cantt. Railway Station                       | M/o Railways |                         505   |

|   3. | Uttar Pradesh   | 2013-14   | Joint Development of Rai- Bareilly Railway Station                                                                                                            | M/o Railways   |   444.00 |
|------|-----------------|-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------|----------|
|    4 | Uttar Pradesh   | 2017-18   | Illumination of three monuments in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh- 1. Dashashwamedh Ghat to Darbanga Ghat (stretch of 300 m) 2. Tulsi Manas Mandir 3. Sarnath Museum | CPWD           |   293.55 |
|    5 | Uttar Pradesh   | 2014-15   | Illumination of monuments in Varanasi/Sarnath (Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath Chaukhandi Stupa in Sarnath, Tomb of Lalkan in Sarnath and Man Mahal in Banaras).     | ITDC           |   512.43 |

Details of Projects sanctioned under the 'Scheme for Special Assistance to States/Union Territories for Capital Investment (SASCI )'

|   S. No. | State          | Project Name                                       |   Approved Cost (in Rs. crore) |
|----------|----------------|----------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|
|        1 | Madhya Pradesh | Orchha A Medieval Splendour                        |                          99.92 |
|        2 | Madhya Pradesh | International Convention Centre for MICE in Bhopal |                          99.38 |
|        3 | Uttar Pradesh  | Development of Bateshwar, District- Agra           |                          74.05 |
|        4 | Uttar Pradesh  | Integrated Buddhist Tourism Development, Shrawasti |                          80.24 |

List of fairs and festivals and events supported under Domestic Promotion and Publicity including Hospitality (DPPH) scheme in last five years is as under:

| Name of State   | Year    | Name of Fairs & Festivals   |   Amount Sanctioned (in Rs. Lakh) |
|-----------------|---------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| Madhya          | 2014-15 | Fairs, Festivals and events |                                33 |
| Pradesh         | 2015-16 | Fairs and festivals         |                                19 |

|         | 2016-17   | Pachmarhi Utsav, Pachmarhi and Jal Mahotsav, Hanuwantiya                                   |   22.00 |
|---------|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
|         |           | World Tourism Day Celebration (ii) SharadUtsav, Bhedaghat (Jabalpur) and (iii) Mandu Utsav |   20    |
|         | 2017-18   | (i) Jal Mahotsav, Hanuwantia (ii) Khajuraho Dance Festival                                 |   50    |
|         | 2018-19   | Pachmarhi Utsav & Jal Mahotsav                                                             |   35    |
|         |           | Khajuraho Dance Festival                                                                   |   15    |
|         | 2019-20   | Pachmarhi Utsav, Pachmarhi                                                                 |   10    |
|         |           | Jal Mahotsav, Hanuwantia                                                                   |   15    |
|         |           | Khajuraho Dance Festival                                                                   |   25    |
|         | 2020-21   | Baiga Olympics                                                                             |   20    |
|         | 2021-22   | Pachmarhi Utsav, Pachmarhi                                                                 |   10    |
|         |           | Jal Mahotsav, Hanuwantia                                                                   |   25    |
|         |           | Khajuraho Dance Festival                                                                   |   15    |
|         | 2022-23   | Jal Mahotsav, Hanuwantia                                                                   |   25    |
|         |           | Khajuraho Dance Festival                                                                   |   15    |
|         | 2023-24   | JalMahotsav, Hanuwantia                                                                    |   22.12 |
|         |           | Narmada Mahotsav                                                                           |   10    |
|         |           | Gandhi Sagar Floating Festival                                                             |   35    |
| Uttar   | 2016-17   | Ganga Mahotsav, Varanasi                                                                   |   25    |
| Pradesh |           | Shilpotsav, Noida                                                                          |   30    |
|         | 2017-18   | Shilpotsav, Noida                                                                          |   25    |
|         |           | Organizing a two day seminar on Cultural/ Tourism Development at Naimisharanya, Sitapur    |   25    |
|         | 2018-19   | Shilpotsav, Noida                                                                          |   30    |
|         |           | Taj Mahotsav                                                                               |   25    |
|         |           | Ganga Mahotsav                                                                             |   25    |
|         | 2019-20   | Ganga Mahotsav-Varanasi                                                                    |   15    |
|         |           | Deepotsav, Ayodhya                                                                         |   25    |
|         |           | Taj Mahotsav, Agra                                                                         |   10    |
|         | 2022-23   | Firozabad Mahotsav                                                                         |   25    |
|         | 2023-24   | Firozabad Mahotsav                                                                         |   25    |
|         |           | Hathras Mahotsav                                                                           |   25    |

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