The Ministry of Tourism, through its ongoing schemes of Swadesh Darshan and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD), is actively supporting State Governments (SGs) and Union Territories (UTs) in developing tourism infrastructure.

 The Ministry announced this on Thursday, highlighting how financial assistance is being extended to state governments and UT administrations for infrastructure development. The Ministry also stated that projects under the Spiritual Circuits of Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes are progressing as per their specific timelines, depending on several factors.

Factors affecting the completion of PRASHAD projects include the success of the tendering process, state agency capabilities, proper project planning and design, and the timely submission of necessary documents. The projects under these schemes are implemented by their respective state governments or UT administrations. To ensure timely progress, the Ministry of Tourism holds regular review meetings at different levels to monitor and expedite projects.

The Ministry consults stakeholders, including temple trusts, local bodies, State Governments, UT administrations, and related Union Ministries when approving projects under the PRASHAD scheme. Additionally, SGs and UTs are required to submit documentation proving encumbrance-free land availability and obtain necessary clearances to avoid project delays.

For Spiritual Circuit projects under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, examples include:

The development of the Sabarimala-Erumeli-Pampa-Sannidhanam Spiritual Circuit in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta District, which has been completed, with a sanctioned amount of Rs. 46.54 crore and an expenditure of Rs. 36.27 crore. Similarly, the spiritual circuit comprising Govindajee Temple and several other significant temples in Manipur has been completed with a sanctioned amount of Rs. 45.34 crore and utilization of Rs. 43.04 crore.

In Bihar, the development of the Kanwaria Route, covering Sultanganj to Dharmshala-Deoghar, has been successfully completed with Rs. 44.76 crore sanctioned and Rs. 42.17 crore utilized. Other completed projects include those in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Puducherry, demonstrating the Ministry’s commitment to the timely execution of tourism projects.

PRASHAD Scheme updates show significant progress in different states, including the full completion of projects like the development of pilgrim amenities at Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh, Srisailam Temple, Kamakhya Temple in Assam, and Baba Baidyanath Dham in Jharkhand. Additionally, projects such as the development of pilgrimage amenities at Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Temple in Karnataka and infrastructure development at Ambaji Temple in Gujarat are underway.