(a) whether the Government has any proposal to recognise Mangarh Dham situated on the borders of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat as place of religious tourism;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to develop the same as a tourist place and bring it on the tourist map of India;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the steps taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)
(a) to (e): Development and promotion of tourism including places of religious tourism is primarily undertaken by the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. However, Ministry of Tourism (MoT) provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) for tourism projects, which are identified in consultation with the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations and funds released for the projects that are complete as per scheme guidelines, subject to availability of funds and utilization of funds released earlier. However, the State Governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have not prioritized projects for Mangarh Dham, so far.
To popularize places of tourist interest in India, the Ministry of Tourism also regularly brings out publicity material including booklets, leaflets, maps etc. on various tourism products and places of tourist interest in the country. Awareness about tourism is also generated through ‘Media Campaign’ in the domestic markets and through Ministry’s domestic offices.