Question : Development of Ancient Places of Maharashtra as Tourist Spots

(a) whether the Government proposes to develop the remote villages, Small and Medium cities in the country as tourist destination and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Government proposes to develop the ancient places of Maharashtra as tourist spots and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether a thousands of years old civilization has been unearthed in the country during excavation and if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the tourists find it difficult to locate the place pertaining to Chandavati due to lack of knowledge of its historical importance and if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken by the Government for publicity of the said place; and
(e) the details of steps taken by the centre/State Governments to promote the tourism through Embassies/Missions in other countries?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SHRI K.J. ALPHONS)

(a) and (b): The development and promotion of tourist destinations is primarily the responsibility of the concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration. However, the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations under the schemes of Swadesh Darshan and National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) for the development of tourism related infrastructure in the country.

Under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, 15 theme based circuits have been identified for development which are North-East Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit and Sufi Circuit.

Under the PRASHAD Scheme, 28 religious cities/sites in 21 States have been identified for development which are Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), Bamleshwari Devi Temple (Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh), Dwarka and Somnath (Gujarat), Gurudwara Nada Saheb (Panchkula, Haryana), Hazratbal and Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Deogarh (Jharkhand), Chamundeshwari Devi (Mysuru, Karnataka), Guruvayoor (Kerala), Maa Chittpurni (Una, Himachal Pradesh), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Tripura Sundari (Tripura), Varanasi and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath and Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) and Belur (West Bengal).

Details of projects sanctioned under the above schemes in the State of Maharashtra are:

Swadesh Darshan Scheme (Rs. in Crore)
<pre>
Sl. No. Name of the Circuit & Year of Sanction Name of the Project Amt. Sanctioned
1. Coastal Circuit
2015-16 Development of Sindhudurg (Mochemad- Vijaydurg – Devgad- Mithbav- Tarkarli-Tondavali- Nivati Fort- Shiroda-Sagareshwar) 82.17
2. Spiritual Circuit
2018-19 Development of Waki- Adasa- Dhapewada- Paradsingha- Chota Taj Bagh- Telankhandi- Girad 54.01
</pre>
PRASHAD Scheme (Rs. in Crore)
<pre>
Sl. No. Name of the Project Year of Sanction Amount Sanctioned
1. Development of Trimbakeshwar 2017-18 37.81
</pre>
The Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for protection, conservation and maintenance of 268 monuments, archaeological sites and remains in the State of Maharashtra. Providing basic facilities/amenities (e.g. drinking water, toilet blocks, facilities for physically challenged, pathways, cultural notice boards/signage, vehicle parking, cloak rooms, etc.) to the tourists visiting monuments and sites are regular activities which the Archaeological Survey of India undertakes, as per needs and resources. Further, improvement and upgradation of these public amenities is a continuous process, where specific monuments are identified for the purpose every year.

Besides, Archaeological Survey of India has identified following monuments as Adarsh Smarak with the aim to provide basic tourist amenities such as Wi-Fi, rest rooms, drinking water, benches, souvenir shops, interpretation centres, cafeterias:

1. Elephenta Caves, Gharapuri, Mumbai
2. Daultabad Fort, Aurangabad
3. Aga Khan Palace, Pune
4. Ajanta caves, Ajanta
5. Tomb of Rabia-Duarani (Bibi-Ka-Maqbara), Aurangabad
6. Ellora Caves, Ellora
7. Buddhist Caves, Kanheri

(c): There are many archaeological excavations conducted and thousands of years old civilization unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India however excavations conducted during the last three field seasons are placed at Annexure.

(d) and (e): Ministry of Tourism promotes India as a holistic destination covering its various tourism destinations and products across different States/Union Territories in the country.

The Ministry of Tourism, through its India Tourism Offices Overseas endeavours to position India as a preferred tourism destination in the tourism generating markets to promote various tourism products and destinations in the country for increasing India’s share in the global tourism market. These objectives are met through an integrated marketing and promotional strategy and a synergized campaign in association with the Travel Trade, State Governments and Indian Missions abroad.

Indiatourism Offices overseas undertake various promotional activities in collaboration with the Indian Missions abroad such as organizing and supporting Indian Food Festivals, cultural festivals/India evenings, Know India Seminars, Road Shows, Joint Promotions, inviting tour operators, media personalities, opinion makers etc. to visit the country under the Hospitality Programme of this Ministry.

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