Question : Development of Tourism

(a) whether the Government has formulated any plan for the infrastructure development to promote tourism in the country, and if so, the details thereof;
(b) the details of tourism projects announced/approved during the last three years for infrastructure development along with their present status and criteria laid down for approving of these projects, State/UT-wise;
(c) the funds allocated and expenditure incurred thereon during the last three years, State/UT-wise, year-wise and project-wise;
(d) whether the Government has received new infrastructure development proposals from various State Governments recently and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether the Government has formulated any special scheme for investment in tourism infrastructure development and if so, the details thereof along with the tourist spots/places identified by the Government for development of tourism infrastructure, State/UT-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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STATEMENT IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*173 ANSWERED ON 28.11.2016 REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM.

(a) to (c): The Ministry of Tourism has launched the Swadesh Darshan and the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) Schemes for the development of tourism related infrastructure and facilities to promote tourism in the country. As part of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, theme based circuits are being developed spanning the entire country, for integrated development of tourism infrastructure. The thirteen themes identified for development under this Scheme are the North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit. In so far as PRASAD is concerned, twenty three religious cities/sites have been identified for development which inter-alia include Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Dwarka (Gujarat), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Belur (West Bengal), Gaya (Bihar), Guruvayoor (Kerala), Hazratbal (Jammu & Kashmir), Kamakhya (Assam), Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Puri (Odisha), Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Somnath (Gujarat), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu).

In addition to the above, Ministry of Tourism is also giving financial assistance to Central Agencies such as Archaeological Survey of India, Port Trust of India, Ministry of Railways etc. for development of tourism related infrastructure in the country.

The number of projects sanctioned under the operative schemes to State Governments/UT Administrations during the last three years along with details of amount released, utilized and their status is given at Annexure.

The projects are approved after examining the same with reference to the prescribed guidelines and financial assistance is provided subject to fulfilment of the stipulated conditions, operational viability and availability of funds.

(d): Receiving proposals from the State Governments/UT Administrations for Central Financial Assistance for tourism projects is a continuous process. The proposals received are examined with reference to the prescribed guidelines and financial assistance is extended for such projects subject to fulfilment of the stipulated conditions, operational viability and availability of funds.

(e): The Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance for Large Revenue Generating Projects (LRGPs) for development of tourism infrastructure in the country. The projects promoted by Public Sector Undertakings, Agencies or Autonomous Bodies of Central/State Governments as well as projects promoted by Private Sector/Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) Projects recommended by the State Governments/UT Administrations are eligible for assistance under the scheme guidelines. Projects which could be a tourist attraction or used by tourist and generates revenue through levy or fee/user charges would qualify for assistance for being set up on all India basis. The scheme guidelines for the Swadesh Darshan and PRASAD also provide for Viability Gap Funding for projects under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

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