Rs 203 cr for UP from 2016-18 under Ramayana & Krishna Circuits

The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned projects worth over Rs 203 cr for Uttar Pradesh alone for the development of Ramayana and Krishna circuit in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan under the Swadesh Darshan scheme. Under the Ramyana Circuit, the sites of Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur & Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga (Bihar), Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Mahendragiri (Odisha), Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh), Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu) have been included. The Krishna Circuit involves the sites of Dwarka (Gujarat); Nathdwara, Jaipur & Sikar (Rajasthan); Kurukshetra (Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon & Govardhan (Uttar Pradesh) and Puri (Odisha).
The projects sanctioned under the scheme have a gestation period of 18-36 months and are subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable Detailed Project Reports, adherence to scheme guidelines and utilisation of funds released earlier. No proposal has been received in the Ministry for the development of Sita Circuit.
The Ministry also has the PRASHAD scheme (National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) for holistic development of identified pilgrimage destinations in the country. Under the scheme, 25 sites have been identified for development.