Why in News?
Ministry of Tourism has undertaken development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities at various Buddhist Sites in the country under its flagships schemes of Swadesh Darshan & PRASHAD. Develop and Promote Buddhist sites in India will increase the experience of tourists.
Schemes of Swadesh Darshan & PRASHAD is promoting spiritual tourism.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme
- It is a scheme of Ministry of Tourism under Government of India a Central Sector Scheme.
- Various themes which are unique and specific to the area include beaches, culture, heritage, wildlife etc.
- Supports communities, provides employment and fosters social integration without comprising upon the environmental concerns.
- Besides it improve experience of the tourist.
- Buddhist sites has been identified as one of the 15 thematic circuits under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
- A total number of 5 projects for an amount of Rs. 353.73 crore have been sanctioned for the development of Buddhist Sites under the Swadesh Darsha Scheme.
- Till date the total sanctioned amount is 5895 crore.
PRASHAD Scheme
- National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) giving focus on development of tourism infrastructure and facilities.
- To rejuvenation and spiritual augmentation of important national/ global pilgrimage and heritage sites.
- Integrated tourism development of heritage city, local arts, culture, handicrafts, cuisine, etc., and to generate livelihood.
- It also strengthen the tourism infrastructure and local economy.
- 41 religious cities/sites in 25 States have been identified for development.
- A total number of 30 projects for an amount of Rs.918.92 crore have been sanctioned under the PRASHAD Scheme.
Extra Read Prelims Focus
Swadesh Darshan Scheme
- 15 themes have been identified for developing theme based circuits.
- These themes include Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Krishna Circuit, North-East Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, Tribal Circuit and Wildlife Circuit.
PRASHAD Scheme
- 41 religious cities/sites in 25 States have been identified for development
- These are Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Parasuram Kund (Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), Balmeshwari Devi Temple (Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh), Dwarka and Somnath (Gujarat), Gurudwara Nada Saheb (Panchkula, Haryana), Maa Chintpurni (Una, Himachal Pradesh), Hazratbal and Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Deogarh and Parasnath (Jharkhand), Chamundeshwari Devi (Mysuru, Karnataka), Guruvayoor, St. Thomas International Shrine (Malayattoor) and Cheraman Juma Mosque (Thrissur, Kerala), Omkareshwar and Amarkantak (Madhya Pradesh), Babedpara, West Jaintia Hills and Sohra (Meghalaya), Aizwal (Mizoram), Kohima and Mokokchung Districts (Nagaland), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Tripura Sundari (Tripura), Varanasi and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri (Uttarakhand) and Belur (West Bengal).
Common facts for both
- Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD Schemes Guidelines have provision for developing nature and environment friendly destinations for both global and domestic tourists.
- The Scheme emphasis the eco-tourism aspects while submitting proposals under the PRASHAD and the Swadesh Darshan Schemes are
- Use of clean/renewable energy
- Eco-friendly materials and equipment, recycling & reuse
- Botha are also a part of Incredible India Campaign.
Promotion of Tourism in India
- Ministry of Tourism is promoting adventure tourism, religious tourism and eco-tourism as part of Incredible India 2.0 Campaign in domestic and overseas markets.
- Also releasing specific media campaigns for promoting tourism destinations in North East States.
- These destinations and niche tourism products are also being promoted on regular basis by India tourism offices in exhibitions and fairs held in India and abroad.
Source : PIB
Topic
Prelims : About Swadesh Darshan Scheme, PRASHAD Scheme
GS I : Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times
GS II : Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
Current Affairs Compilation : 15 September 2020