Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated nine tourism infrastructure projects, spread across the country, developed under Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage  Rejuvenation and  Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive  (PRASHAD) schemes, worth Rs. 469 Crore through Video Conferencing from Srinagar.

Further, 43 other projects  for  Rs. 963 Crore were also launched by him, under the Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) schemes of the Ministry of Tourism. The project launch events were carried out at all the 52 destinations, simultaneously,by co-ordinated efforts of the Ministry of Tourism, State Government / UT administrations and local authorities.

The projects launched included 3 projects under PRASHAD Scheme ( Hazratbal- Srinagar, Jogulamba- Telangana, Amarkantak-Madhya Pradesh) worth Rs 129.35 Cr. Some of the major interventions developed in the projects include Pilgrim facilitation centre, Ghat Development, Façade illumination, Sound & Light show, Parking, Queue complex, Safety & security infrastructure etc. Besides, 14 projects across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana worth Rs 320.8 Cr. were also launched to further develop hitherto untouched pilgrimage and heritage sites.

In addition to the above, with an objective of fostering growth and development of tourism destinations in a responsible and sustainable manner as Jan Bhagidari Initiatives Prime Minister has also launched 3 visionary campaigns and schemes for tourism sector-

‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’ – a Tourist Destination Poll  was launched by  PM  to  identify  most  preferred tourist  attractions  under  5 categories. Through this Nation-wide poll, the Ministry of Tourism aims to engage with citizens to identify most preferred tourist attractions and understand tourist perceptions across 5 tourism categories – Spiritual, Cultural & Heritage, Nature & Wildlife, Adventure, and any other category. The polling portal would be available for people to exercise their choices at https://innovateindia.mygov.in/dekho-apna-desh/. It is an effort to identify attractions and destinations for development in mission mode, contributing to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat@2047.

Further, the Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign to enable Indian diaspora members become Incredible India ambassadors was also launched during the event. The campaign has been launched in the spirit of Jan Bhagidari for an Atulya and Viksit Bharat and on the basis of the clarion call of the Hon’ble Prime Minister requesting the  Indian diaspora members to encourage 5 non-Indian friends to travel to India every year. The website https://www.chaloindia.com/ will inspire and encourage people living in other countries to visit India.

The Ministry of Tourism has formulated Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) with the objectives to develop sustainable and responsible destinations providing end-to-end experience. The Scheme intends to develop destinations through competition, convergence and strategic alignment with India’s tourism priorities. The Ministry of Tourism has selected 42 destinations under various tourism themes across 25 States/UTs for development under the scheme, which was announced by PM.

The Ministry of Tourism launched ‘Swadesh Darshan’ Scheme in 2014-15 and provided financial assistance to the State Governments/ UT Administration/Central Agencies for development of tourism infrastructure in the country. The brief objective of the scheme was to position tourism as a major engine of economic growth and job creation following community-based development and pro-poor tourism approach. Since the inception of scheme, 76 Projects have been sanctioned by the Ministry across 31 States/Union territories with a total capital outlay of ₹ 5294.1 Crore. Under the scheme, 6 projects in the States of Bihar, Meghalaya and Rajasthan amounting to ₹ 339.59 Crores were inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.

Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism has revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme in the form of Swadesh Darshan 2.0 with the mission to create a robust framework for integrated development of tourism destinations in partnership with the States/ UTs and local governments for promoting sustainable and responsible tourism in the country. The Ministry have notified 57 destinations from 32 States and Union Territories for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme.  Under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 Scheme, the Ministry has sanctioned 29 tourist experiences in 17 States/UTs amounting to ₹ 644.44 Crore till date.

During the event held at Srinagar , Prime Minister requested the tourists to spend at least 5-10% of their total budget in purchasing local items from local communities of the tourist destinations. During his address to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, he stated that he would like Jammu and Kashmir to be one of the most celebrated wedding destinations of the country. PM reiterated the campaign “I Do” and urged people to come to the land of Jammu & Kashmir for their wedding ceremonies and celebrations. Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed record growth in past years. In 2023 more than 2 crore tourists were recorded and record growth is seen at Amarnath and Vaishnodevi Yatra.

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Ajay KR