Introduction
The ministry of tourism has set up a directorate to implement the Pilgrim Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive or which is also known as PRASAD. The money allocated for this scheme is around 15.60 crore. The budget has also been revised in the year 2014-2015. The ministry of tourism has also released the first installment of Rs 85.78 lakh as a first installment for the renovation and for the basic facilities at the Vishnupad Temple, Gaya in Bihar.
The basic need for the PRASAD is the government’s interest in increasing the pilgrim tour and to augment the religiousness in every individual. India is a land of many religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and many more. Most of these religions have their pilgrimage centers in all most all the cities and states. And it has been seen over the years that people go for the religious tours for the sentiments and other emotional reasons. Therefore, religion and spirituality is the primary reason for the travel.
As a result, the major tourist destination has formed just out of this sentiment. As a matter of fact, the growth and the development of the tourist destination have a huge connection with the pilgrimage tour taken every year. For this reason the government has decided to opt for a holistic approach towards the development of the pilgrimage destination in the country.
Details
There are about twelve cities of various states in this country that have been selected and developed by the ministry of tourism for the pilgrim rejuvenation and spiritual augmentation drive. The selected places are as follows: –
- Gaya(Bihar)
- Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh)
- Amritsar(Punjab)
- Dwaraka(Gujarat)
- Kanchipuram(Tamil Nadu)
- Ajmer(Rajasthan)
- Puri(Odisha)
- Vellankani(Tamil Nadu)
- Mathura(Uttar Pradesh)
- Varanasi(Uttar Prasesh)
- Kamakhya (Assam)
- Kedarnath (Uttarakhand)
The objectives of this scheme
The objectives of this scheme are as follows: –
- To opt for a holistic in the development process of the selected tourist destination around the country.
- To see that the tourism industry is developing with the help of these pilgrimage tours all around the year.
- The primary objective of this plan is to tap the potential of the pilgrimage tours and travels around the year.
- In the budget speech of 2014-2015 the government decided to provide RS 100 crore for the development of this industry.
- To drive a national mission for the Pilgrim Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive.
- To make the tourism industry as the major exponent in the growth of the economy.
- To provide the tourists a host of facilities and everything else that was lacking previously in these areas. Working towards a sustainable development.
- Promoting sustainable development in the pilgrimage tours and travels sector is one of the major objectives of this scheme.
- Filling all the gaps that are present in this sector’s infrastructure.
- Providing safe and secure tourism service to the people.
- Creating more jobs and employment opportunities through this is one of the integral part of this scheme.
Benefits of this scheme
The government of India has devised Pilgrim Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) because of the following benefits: –
- Primarily, this scheme is supposed to boost the development of the tourism sector.
- Development of the pilgrim places around the country in a planned and integrated way. This scheme is for a sustainable development.
- Using the pilgrimage tours for the development of the economy of the country.
- There are many community based tourism programs for the poor tourists.
- Promoting local arts and culture.
- Creating awareness among the people about the need and the importance of tourism.
- Developing the infrastructure of these places to a world class level.
Eligibility and the conditions applying
N/A
Documents required for this scheme
N/A
How to apply
N/A
Important link
http://tourism.gov.in/swadesh-darshan-prasad-scheme-guidelines-0
Properties of the scheme
The government of India has devised this scheme so that there can be a sustainable development in the tourism sector. And apart from this one of the major reasons of creating this new scheme by the government was to develop new job opportunities and more employment options. Tours and transportation is one of the developing sectors in this country and the avenue is quite new.
With the help of Pilgrim Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive or which is also known as PRASAD, a lot of revenue will be generated and not only that, the government had allocated the budget of one hundred crore rupees which will be used in the development of this new scheme as well as will also be used for the development of the selected pilgrim places around the country.
The following are some of the strategies that have been opted by the government:-
- To select the religious destination that has potential and to showcase them in the world tours and travel catalogue.
- Ensuring the development of the selected destination.
- To find out all the infrastructural gaps and providing solutions for each and every one of them.
- To make a joint collaborative effort with the state government for the sustainable development.
- Pilgrim Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive also striving to promote the local arts and the culture. And apart from these the local cuisines are very much in demand too.
- To select an area of development and work in an integrated manner. And also ensuring that all the basic amenities and facilities are provided to the tourists.
- To coordinate the development of the project centrally.
The following is the list of the infrastructure development:-
- Development and the up gradation of the transportation.
- Acquiring eco-friendly modes of transportation.
- Improvement of the roads that are leading towards these destinations.
- Using clean energy source for the lighting of the streets.
- Providing information centers for the tourists and the travelers.
- Restoration and the conservation of the heritage sites.
- Building new parking space for the cars and the two wheelers of the tourists and travelers.
