Lok Sabha Question No. 1336 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-05-02
Subject: Support for Pilgrim Tourism
Ministry: TOURISM
Asked by: PANKAJ CHOWDHARY, RAMSINH PATALYABHAI RATHWA, SADASHIV KISAN LOKHANDE, AJAY NISHAD, SUMEDHANAND SARASWATI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†1336

## LOK SABHA ANSWERED ON 02.05.2016

## SUPPORT FOR PILGRIM TOURISM

## †1336. SHRI PANKAJ CHAUDHARY:

SHRI RAMSINH RATHWA:

SHRI SADASHIV LOKHANDE:

SHRI AJAY NISHAD:

SHRI SUMEDHANAND SARSWATI:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  any  proposal  to  develop  and promote 'Pilgrim Tourism' at holy places in the country and has formulated  any  scheme  for  the  development  of  the  places  of religious and historical importance;
- (b) if  so,  the  locations  identified  for  religious  tourism  and  the number of worship sites developed as tourist places during the last three years along with the number of domestic and foreign tourists  who  visited  such  places  during  the  last  three  years, State-wise;
- (c) the  details  of  the  funds  allocated  and  expenditure  incurred thereon, State-wise;
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiatives  to  make religious sites more accessible and safe to tourists after some incidents of stampede and mishaps;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to ensure safe journey to tourists visiting these places; and
- (f) whether  the  Government  has  provided  financial  assistance  to any  foreign  country  for  pilgrim  tourism  and  if  so,  the  details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a)  to  (c):         Ministry  of Tourism  launched  a  Plan Scheme  'National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive' (PRASAD) in 2014-15 with an objective of beautifying, developing and improving  amenities  of  important  pilgrimage  destinations  of  the country. Under the PRASAD scheme 13 sites in the country have been identified for  promoting and  developing  places of religious and historical importance.

The  sites  identified  under  the  scheme  are,  Amritsar,  Ajmer, Kedarnath, Dwarka, Mathura, Varanasi, Gaya, Kamakhya, Puri, Amravati, Kanchipuram , Velankanni and Patna.

Ministry of Tourism has launched another Plan Scheme 'Swadesh  Darshan'  in  2014-15  for  integrated  development of  theme based  circuits.  Under  Swadesh  Darshan  thirteen  thematic  circuits have been identified, including four religious/spiritual thematic circuits  i.e.  Buddhist  Circuit,  Krishna  Circuit,  Spiritual  Circuit  and Ramayana Circuit.

Details of funds sanctioned for 'PRASAD' and 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme and tourist visit in the country is at Annexure I, II & III.

(d) & (e): The guidelines of PRASAD provide for informatory/directional signage, first aid centres, Wi-Fi etc. Components  such  as  queue  shelter/complex,  CCTV,  etc.  are  also admissible under the scheme.

The  Ministry  has  launched  the  24x7  Toll  Free  Multi-Lingual Tourist  Helpline  in  12  International  languages  including  Hindi  & English  on  08.02.2016.    This  service  is  available  on  the  toll  free number 1800111363 or on a short code 1363.  The Help Line provides support service in terms of providing information relating to Travel & Tourism in the country and assist the callers with advice on action to be taken during times of distress while travelling in India and if need be, alert the concerned authorities.

As advised by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India the Kerala Maharashtra,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Rajasthan,  Jammu  and  Kashmir, Uttar  Pradesh,  Delhi,  Punjab,  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Odisha  have

State Governments  of Andhra  Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, deployed Tourist Police, in one form or the other.

In addition, the Union Ministry of Tourism along with stakeholders has adopted the 'Code of conduct for Safe and Honourable Tourism' which is a set of guidelines to encourage tourism activities  to  be  undertaken  with  respect  for basic  rights  like dignity, safety  and  freedom  from  exploitation  of  both  tourist  and  local residence,  in  particular,  women  and  children.  These  guidelines  are voluntarily  accepted  and  implemented  by  hotelier,  tour  operators, travel agents and other service providers. The State Government/Union Territory Administrations can widely promote this Code of Conduct and also ensure its implementation. (f): No,  Madam.      However,  since  1996  certain  numbers  of  gratis Visas  have  been  issued  to  Myanmar  pilgrims  annually  for  visit  to sacred Buddhist places.

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ANNEXURE-I

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.+1336 ANSWERED ON 02.05.2016 REGARDING SUPPORT FOR PILGRIM TOURISM.

Details of the projects sanctioned under the 'PRASAD' scheme during the 12 th  Plan in the year 2014-2015 and 2015-16 (as on 31.03.2016):-

(Rs. in crore)

| Sl. No.   | Name of the project                                                                                                | Amount sanctioned   | Amount released   |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|-------------------|
|           | 2014-15                                                                                                            |                     |                   |
| 1.        | Basic Facilities at Vishnupad temple, Gaya                                                                         | 4.29                | 0.85              |
| 2.        | Development of Mathura Vrindavan as Mega Tourist Circuit (Phase-II).                                               | 14.93               | 2.99              |
| 3.        | Tourist Facilitation Centre at Vrindavan                                                                           | 9.36                | 1.76              |
| 4.        | Infrastructure Development at Puri, Shree Jagannath Dham-Ramachandi-Prachi River Front at Deuli under Mega Circuit | 50.00               | 10.00             |
|           | Total                                                                                                              | 78.58               | 15.60             |
|           | 2015-16                                                                                                            |                     |                   |
| 1.        | Development of Karuna Sagar Valmiki Sthal at Amritsar                                                              | 6.45                | 1.29              |
| 2.        | Integrated Development of Pushkar/ Ajmer                                                                           | 40.44               | 8.09              |
| 3.        | Development of Amravati Town, Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh as a Tourist Destination                           | 28.36               | 5.67              |
| 4.        | Development of Kamakhya Temple and Pilgrimage Destination in and around Guwahati                                   | 33.98               | 6.79              |
| 5,        | Development at Patna Sahib                                                                                         | 41.54               | 8.31              |
| 6.        | Development of basic facilities at Vishnupad temple, Gaya, Bihar                                                   | 0                   | 1.29              |
| 7.        | Development of Varanasi                                                                                            | 20.40               | 4.08              |
| 8.        | Development of Kedarnath                                                                                           | 34.78               | 4.47              |
|           | Total                                                                                                              | 205.95              | 40.00             |

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ANNEXURE-II

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (C) OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.+1336 ANSWERED ON 02.05.2016 REGARDING SUPPORT FOR PILGRIM TOURISM.

Details  of  the  projects  sanctioned  under  the  'Swadesh  Darshan' scheme during the 12 th  Plan in the year 2014-2015 and 2015-16 (as on 31.03.2016):-

2014-15 (Rs. in Crore)

| Circuit                  | State             | Name of Project                                                | Amount Sanctioned   |   Amount released |
|--------------------------|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|-------------------|
| North East India Circuit | Arunachal Pradesh | Bhaulkpong -Bomdila- Tawang                                    | 50.00.              |             10    |
| Buddhist Circuit         | Bihar             | Cultural Centre Bodhgaya                                       | 33.17               |              6.63 |
| Coastal Circuit          | Andhra Pradesh    | Kakinada -Hope Island- Konaseema Coastal & Eco Tourism Circuit | 69.83               |              3.37 |
|                          |                   | Total                                                          | 153.00              |             20    |

2015-16 (Rs. in Crore)

| Circuit                  | State   | Name of Project                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |   Amount Sanctioned |   Amount released |
|--------------------------|---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------|-------------------|
| North East India Circuit | Sikkim  | Development of Tourist Circuit linking Rangpo(entry)-Rorathang- Aritar-Phadamchen - Nathang-Sherathang- Tsongmo- Gangtok- Phodong-Mangan- Lachung-Yumthang- Lachen- Thangu- Gurudongmer-Mangan- Gangtok-TuminLingee- Singtam (exit) in Sikkim |               98.05 |             19.61 |
| North East India Circuit | Manipur | Development of Tourist Circuit in Manipur: Imphal- Moirang-Khongjom-Moreh.                                                                                                                                                                    |               89.66 |             17.93 |

| Desert Circuit           | Rajasthan      | Development of Sambhar Lake Town and other destinations                                                                                                                                        |   63.96 |   12.79 |
|--------------------------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|---------|
| Eco Circuit              | Uttarakhand    | Integrated Development of Eco-Tourism, Adventure Sports, Associated Tourism related Infrastructure for Development of Tehri Lake & Surroundings as New Destination-District Tehri, Uttarakhand |   80.37 |   16.07 |
| Tribal Circuit           | Nagaland       | Development of Tribal Circuit Peren- Kohima- Wokha, Nagaland                                                                                                                                   |   97.36 |   19.47 |
| Coastal Circuit          | Andhra Pradesh | Development of Coastal Tourism Circuit in Sri PottiSriramalu Nellore in Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                         |   60.38 |   12.08 |
| Wildlife Circuit         | Madhya Pradesh | Development of Wildlife Circuit at Panna- Mukundpur-Sanjay-Dubri- Bandhavgarh-Kanha- Mukki-Pench in Madhya Pradesh                                                                             |   92.22 |   18.44 |
| Eco Circuit              | Telangana      | Integrated Development of Eco Tourism Circuit in Mahaboobnagar district, Telangana                                                                                                             |   91.62 |   18.32 |
| Eco Circuit              | Kerala         | Development of Pathanamthitta - Gavi - Vagamon - Thekkady as Eco Tourism Circuit in Idduki and Pathanamthitta Districts in Kerala                                                              |   99.22 |   19.84 |
| North East India Circuit | Mizoram        | Integrated Development of New Eco Tourism under Swadesh Darshan - North East Circuit at Thenzawl& South Zote, District Serchhip and Reiek,                                                     |   94.91 |   18.98 |

|                          |                   | Mizoram                                                                                                                                                                                              |         |        |
|--------------------------|-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|--------|
| North East India Circuit | Arunachal Pradesh | Integrated Development of Adventure Tourism in Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                     |   97.14 |  19.43 |
| Wildlife Circuit         | Assam             | Wildlife Circuit of Assam                                                                                                                                                                            |   95.67 |  19.13 |
| Coastal Circuit          | Puducherry        | Development of Union Territory of Puducherry as Tourist Circuit under 'Swadesh Darshan' Scheme                                                                                                       |   85.28 |  17.06 |
| North East India Circuit | Tripura           | Development of North East Circuit: Agartala - Sipahijala - Melaghar - Udaipur - Amarpur - Tirthamukh - Mandirghat - Dumboor- NarikelKunja - Gandachara - Ambassa                                     |   99.59 |  19.92 |
| Coastal Circuit          | West Bengal       | Development of Beach Circuit - Udaipur - Digha - Shankarpur - Tajpur - Mandarmani - Fraserganj - Bakkhlai -Henry Island                                                                              |   85.39 |  17.08 |
| Tribal Circuit           | Chhattisgarh      | Development of Tribal Tourism Circuit Jashpur- Kunkuri-Mainpat- Ambikapur-Maheshpur- ratanpur-Kurdar- Sarodadadar-Gangrel- Kondagaon- Nathyanawagaon- Jagdalpur-Chitrakoot- Tirthgarh in Chattisgarh |   99.94 |  19.99 |
| Coastal Circuit          | Maharashtra       | Sindhudurg Coastal Circuit                                                                                                                                                                           |   82.76 |  12.79 |
|                          |                   | Total                                                                                                                                                                                                | 1513.52 | 298.93 |

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## Annexure-III

STATEMENT  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (C) OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.+1336 ANSWERED ON 02.05.2016 REGARDING SUPPORT FOR PILGRIM TOURISM.

The  number  of  Domestic  and  Foreign  Tourist  Visits  (in  lakhs)  to different States/UTs during 2012, 2013 and 2014.

| Sl.   | State/ UT                 | 2012     | 2012    | 2013     | 2013       | 2014         | 2014    |
|-------|---------------------------|----------|---------|----------|------------|--------------|---------|
| No.   |                           | Domestic | Foreign | Domestic | Foreign    | Domestic     | Foreign |
| 1     | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 2.39     | 0.18    | 2.44     | 0.15       | 2.85         | 0.17    |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh            | 2072.18  | 2.93    | 980.18   | 0.70       | 933.07       | 0.66    |
| 3     | Arunachal Pradesh         | 1.32     | 0.05    | 1.25     | 0.11       | 1.81         | 0.05    |
| 4     | Assam                     | 45.11    | 0.18    | 46.85    | 0.18       | 48.27        | 0.22    |
| 5     | Bihar                     | 214.47   | 10.97   | 215.88   | 7.66       | 225.44       | 8.30    |
| 6     | Chandigarh                | 9.25     | 0.34    | 9.37     | 0.40       | 10.61        | 0.28    |
| 7     | Chhattisgarh              | 150.37   | 0.04    | 228.01   | 0.04       | 244.88       | 0.08    |
| 8     | Dadra & Nagar Haveli      | 4.69     | 0.01    | 4.82     | 0.02       | 5.80         | 0.02    |
| 9     | Daman & Diu               | 8.04     | 0.05    | 8.20     | 0.05       | 7.95         | 0.05    |
| 10    | Delhi                     | 184.95   | 23.46   | 202.15   | 23.01      | 226.27       | 23.19   |
| 11    | Goa                       | 23.37    | 4.51    | 26.29    | 4.92       | 35.45        | 5.14    |
| 12    | Gujarat                   | 243.79   | 1.74    | 274.13   | 1.99       | 309.12       | 2.36    |
| 13    | Haryana                   | 67.99    | 2.33    | 71.28    | 2.28       | 134.43       | 5.47    |
| 14    | Himachal Pradesh          | 156.46   | 5.00    | 147.16   | 4.14       | 159.25       | 3.90    |
| 15    | Jammu & Kashmir           | 124.27   | 0.79    | 136.42   | 0.61       | 94.39        | 0.86    |
| 16    | Jharkhand                 | 204.21   | 0.32    | 205.11   | 0.46       | 334.27       | 1.55    |
| 17    | Karnataka                 | 940.53   | 5.95    | 980.10   | 6.36       | 1182.83      | 5.62    |
| 18    | Kerala                    | 100.77   | 7.94    | 108.58   | 8.58       | 116.95       | 9.23    |
| 19    | Lakshadweep               | 0.04     | 0.01    | 0.05     | 0.004      | 0.07         | 0.01    |
| 20    | Madhya Pradesh            | 531.97   | 2.76    | 631.11   | 2.80       | 636.15       | 3.16    |
| 21    | Maharashtra               | 748.16   | 26.52   | 827.01   | 41.56      | 941.27       | 43.89   |
| 22    | Manipur                   | 1.35     | 0.01    | 1.41     | 0.02       | 1.15         | 0.03    |
| 23    | Meghalaya                 | 6.80     | 0.05    | 6.91     | 0.07       | 7.16         | 0.09    |
| 24    | Mizoram                   | 0.64     | 0.01    | 0.63     | 0.01       | 0.68         | 0.01    |
| 25    | Nagaland                  | 0.36     | 0.02    | 0.36     | 0.03       | 0.58         | 0.04    |
| 26    | Odisha                    | 90.53    | 0.65    | 98.00    | 0.67       | 107.91       | 0.71    |
| 27    | Puducherry                | 9.82     | 0.53    | 10.00    | 0.43       | 11.88        | 0.83    |
| 28    | Punjab                    | 190.56   | 1.44    | 213.41   | 2.04       | 242.71       | 2.55    |
| 29    | Rajasthan                 | 286.12   | 14.51   | 302.98   | 14.37      | 330.76       | 15.26   |
| 30    | Sikkim                    | 5.59     | 0.26    | 5.77     | 0.32       | 5.62         | 0.49    |
| 31    | Tamil Nadu                | 1841.37  | 35.62   | 2442.32  | 39.90 1.54 | 3275.55 3.61 | 46.58   |
| 32    | Telangana                 | -        | -       | 540.84   |            |              | 0.27    |

| 33   | Tripura       |     3.62 |   0.08 |     3.60 |   0.12 |   723.99 |   0.75 |
|------|---------------|----------|--------|----------|--------|----------|--------|
| 34   | Uttar Pradesh |  1683.81 |  19.94 |  2265.31 |  20.54 |  1828.2  |  29.1  |
| 35   | Uttarakhand   |   268.27 |   1.25 |   199.41 |   0.98 |   219.91 |   1.02 |
| 36   | West Bengal   |   227.3  |  12.2  |   255.47 |  12.45 |   490.3  |  13.76 |
|      | Total         | 10450.5  | 182.63 | 11452.8  | 199.51 | 12901.2  | 225.68 |

As per the 2 nd  Tourism Satellite Account of India (TSA)- 2009-10 and subsequent estimation for  the next three years namely 2010-11, 2011-12  and  2012-13,  the  contribution  of  tourism  to  total  Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 were 6.77% (3.68% direct and 3.09% indirect), 6.76% (3.67% direct and 3.09% indirect),  6.76% (3.67% direct and 3.09% indirect)  and 6.88% (3.74%  direct  and  3.14%  indirect),  respectively.  The  contribution  of tourism to total Employment of the Country during 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 were 10.17% (4.37% direct and 5.80% indirect), 10.78%  (4.63%  direct  and 6.15%  indirect),  11.49%  (4.94%  direct  and 6.55% indirect) and 12.36% (5.31% direct and 7.05% indirect), respectively.

## ******************