The PRASHAD Program was introduced by the Indian government in 2014–2015 through the Ministry of Tourism. The program’s name was altered to “National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)” in October 2017. It was renamed PRASHAD to include the building of Heritage Destinations in place of the Ministry of Housing and Urban’s HRIDAY program. In order to improve the religious tourist experience, this program focuses on creating and identifying pilgrimage sites around India. To offer a comprehensive religious tourism experience, it strives to integrate pilgrimage places in a prioritized, organised, and sustainable manner. The expansion of domestic travel is heavily dependent on religious travel. The PRASHAD program aims to create a foundation for the growth and promotion of religious travel in India. The appropriate State/Union Territory Government will carry out the projects outlined under this plan through the designated agencies. The program was designed to create infrastructure, including entrance points (for road, rail, and water transportation), last-mile connectivity, fundamental tourist amenities, environmentally friendly means of transportation, rain shelters, telecom facilities, internet connectivity, etc.
In Varanasi, the Prime Minister officially launched a number of construction projects. It covers the operation of the Cruise Boat from Assi Ghat to RajGhat under the Project Development of River Cruise in Varanasi under PRASHAD Scheme and the Tourist Facilitation Center under the Project Development of Varanasi Under PRASHAD Scheme – Phase II. The Ministry of Tourism authorized the Development of Varanasi Under PRASHAD Scheme – Phase II project in February 2018 at a cost of Rs. 44.69 crores. And in February 2018, the Ministry of Tourism authorized the PRASHAD Scheme project Development of River Cruise in Varanasi at a cost of Rs. 10.72 crores. A number of projects totaling more than Rs 47 crore have just been unveiled by the prime minister in Somnath, Gujarat, as part of the PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) program. The Somnath Exhibition Center, built on the grounds of the “Tourist Facilitation Center,” showcases artifacts made from torn-down pieces of the former Somnath temple and its sculptures, which have temple architecture in the Nagara style, from the old Somnath.
Objectives of PRASHAD Scheme:
- Rejuvenation and spiritual enlargement of significant national and international pilgrimage sites
- Provide world-class tourism initiatives in designated pilgrimage locations and heritage cities as part of integrated tourism development of heritage cities in a planned, prioritized, and sustainable manner.
- Promote pilgrimage and heritage travel as a key driver of economic growth and job creation, both directly and through a multiplier effect.
- Adopt the “Pro-Poor” tourism idea and “responsible tourism” activities to support community-based development.
- Ensure community engagement is active by creating jobs in the area.
- Educating the neighborhood residents about the value of tourism for their increased revenue sources, higher standard of living, and regional development in general.
- Promote local arts, culture, handicrafts, food, and heritage in the form of heritage structures, particularly under integrated tourism development of heritage cities, in order to create jobs and income in the designated areas.
- In order to create integrated city heritage tourism within the core tourism footprint, it is necessary to strengthen the mechanism for bridging the infrastructure gaps at designated pilgrimage sites and throughout heritage cities.
- Create a monitoring system for prompt project implementation in cooperation with the States/UTs and other stakeholders;
- Strengthen the safeguards for pilgrims and visitors, and raise the standard of tourism services
- Facilitate the integration of state and federal government initiatives with private sector initiatives for integrated site/destination development
Selection Criteria for choosing Pilgrimage Places and Locations:
- Tourist footfall: Any single pilgrimage destination’s tourism footfall provides information on the number of tourists who visit that location and its significance on the national pilgrimage map. Thus, the volume of pilgrims is to be taken into account as a crucial factor in choosing the destinations for the program.
- Status of the current state of development: The state and local initiatives for the development of the physical and social infrastructure in the pilgrimage footprint of the destinations to be taken into consideration under PRASHAD shall be included in the existing level of development.
- Inhabitants of the destination who live there: One of the factors to be taken into consideration when choosing a pilgrimage site is the local population of the area. The population of a region is intimately correlated with its local government area and its ability to accommodate an inflow of pilgrims.
- Value of the locations in terms of culture, history, and legacy: These locations have a variety of religious and cultural roots in addition to having historical significance; it is important to consider these elements while choosing venues for the program. The plan’s framework is set up to include all significant locations for all major religions.
- Integrity of the Implementation: A crucial factor in destination selection is the implementation’s credibility. The UC pendency of state/UT governments and its implementing agencies for projects approved by the ministry of tourism can be used to assess the credibility of execution. Additionally, this indicator must be used to determine destination priorities. States that don’t have any UC pending will be given more weight in the selection process.
Funding of PRASHAD Scheme:
- To encourage tourism at specific locations, the Ministry of Tourism gives State Governments with Central Financial Assistance (CFA).
- Components falling under the purview of public finance under this scheme will receive a 100% fund from the Central Government.
- In order to increase the project’s sustainability, it also aims to incorporate corporate social responsibility (CSR) and public-private partnerships (PPP).
Expected outcomes of the PRASHAD Scheme:
- A rise in the number of tourists.
- The creation of jobs.
- Enhancing awareness and building capacity to deliver value-added services to the tourism industry.
- A rise in the involvement of the business sector in the specified tourism sites.
- Integrated city development in historic areas
Monitoring on the PRASHAD Scheme:
- Through appointed personnel, the Ministry of Tourism would periodically supervise the program.
- Monitoring would be place in both online and offline modes.
- The updated Monitoring Framework must be submitted by the fifth of every month by the implementing agencies.
Achievements of PRASHAD Scheme:
- An announcement about the creation of five unique tourism zones in collaboration with the states is planned for 2017–18. The tourism ministry will receive Rs. 1,840.77 crores from the budget, and the fiscal budget will receive Rs. 250 crores.
- Under the Swadesh Darshan program, Rs. 959.91 crores has been allotted for the integrated development of tourist circuits.
- Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive has been given Rs. 100 crores.
- In support of PRASAD, the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) program has also been created.
- Recent additions to 25 states include Gangotri, Yamunotri, Parasnath, and other locations.
- The government requested that trains be set aside for travel and religious purposes.
- In 2017–18, Incredible India campaigns were introduced all over the world.
Conclusion:
A significant driver of economic growth, tourism also contributes significantly to employment and foreign exchange revenues. It can play a significant role in the creation of extra employment prospects due to its excellent capacity to generate large-scale employment of a variety of kinds, from the most specialized to the unskilled. It can be crucial in attaining growth that is equitable and sustainable. Given the abundance of religious tourism destinations throughout the nation, the pilgrimage industry has a tremendous amount of potential for growth. The government must, in cooperation with other stakeholders, make investments in the comprehensive development of the chosen pilgrimage destinations in order to fully exploit the potential of pilgrimage tourism.