Govt says 27 new sites identified for development under PRASHAD scheme

Twenty-seven new sites have been identified for development under the Centre's PRASHAD scheme, the government informed Parliament on Monday. Union Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha.

He said 57 destinations have also been identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme.

The Union Ministry of Tourism launched the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) and the Swadesh Darshan schemes in 2014-15 for developing infrastructure at tourist destinations, including religious sites.


The primary objective of the PRASHAD scheme is to develop tourism infrastructure at pilgrimage and heritage sites, ensuring a more enriching experience for pilgrims and heritage enthusiasts. The Swadesh Darshan scheme aimed to develop theme-based tourist circuits, Reddy said.

The ministry has now revamped Swadesh Darshan as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations by following a tourist and destination-centric approach, he said.

"A total of 46 projects are sanctioned at a cost of Rs 1,631.93 crore and 76 projects are sanctioned at a cost of Rs 5,294.11 crore under PRASHAD and Swadesh Darshan schemes, respectively," the minister said in his response.

The ministry promotes tourist destinations and tourism products of the country in a holistic manner. It endeavours to position India as a preferred tourism destination in tourism generating markets, under the Incredible India brand, to promote various tourism products and destinations in the global tourism market through an integrated marketing and promotional strategy and a synergised campaign in association with the travel trade, state governments and Indian missions overseas, Reddy said in response to another query.

In response to another query, the minister shared data on foreign tourist arrivals in Goa in the last few years.

According to the data, 4.03 lakh foreign tourists visited Goa during January-November 2023. The figure for foreign tourist arrivals stood at 9.34 lakh in 2018 and 1.75 lakh in 2022.