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.
It 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.
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 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 today.
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.
