Prasad Scheme By Union Ministry of Tourism

A BLESSING FOR THE PILGRIMS: PRASAD SCHEME

Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD Scheme)- a national project undertaken by the Union Ministry of Tourism. Its aim is to stimulate tourist and public interest in the pilgrimage and spiritual arena.

This is possible by creating religious and pilgrimage destinations. Moreover, sacred lands are identified, and further can be embellished. This in turn would boost employment and economic development. Its chief features include:

• Aim
• Strategy
• Administration and Responsibilities
• Fund Base
• Groundwork Progress, Created Sites and Achievements

Aim of the Prasad Scheme

The objectives of the scheme include:

• Formation and preservation of proper religious destinations and spiritual sites to ensure a devout experience for devotees.
• Promotion of communal unity and harmony.
• Encouragement to incoming tourists and discovery of new scopes regarding tourist activities that can boost the prominence of an area.
• Providing a boost in the employment and economic strength of tourism-related sectors and encouraging pro-poor tourism to help the poor earn a livelihood.
• To make maximum use of the tax money collected from the public in order to better the country.
• Promotion of holistic development and mental peace amongst religious followers and believers.
• Improvement of quality of life and living standards of the people living around in terms of regional infrastructural development and aesthetic beauty.
• Sustainment and preservation of the art, heritage, traditions, culture, and rich history of India.
• Provide the locals with a souvenir of past achievements.

The strategy of Prasad Scheme

Few basic steps of carrying out the scheme include:

• Spotting and identifying landmarks or stations which have the ability to be turned into a pilgrimage, religious spot, or spiritual site. Consulting the landowners and stakeholders of the chosen area regarding the planned use of the land or further cracking a deal for the land.
• Ensuring an environment-friendly approach. The outline design of such a site is by identifying the obstructional infrastructure around.
• To achieve the desired goal in a particular time frame by working closely and in harmony with both the state and national government along with private firms involved.
• For arranging for reasonable public funds when needed from sources like the public sector funds and the corporate sector funds.
• To encourages interests in culture, tradition, and heritage in the chosen region thereby supporting the livelihoods of those employed in related jobs.
• To offer and arrange related facilities for tourist visits in a planned manner.
• For maintaining the development of the area by offering coordination, regular checks, and by employing people to develop course action plans regarding the site.

Administration and Their Responsibilities

The scheme is managed by several committees which are :

1. National Steering Committee

Chairman: Minister of tourism
Vice-chairman: Secretary of the ministry of tourism
Members:

• Additional secretary of the ministry of tourism
• Secretary of the ministry of skill development
• Secretary of the ministry of power
• Financial advisor of the ministry of tourism
• Secretary of the ministry of culture
• Secretary of the ministry of rural development
• Director general of the archaeological survey of India
• Secretary of the ministry of urban development
• Secretary of the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation
• The executive director of the ministry of railways
• Secretary of the ministry of civil aviation
• Secretary of the ministry of road transport and highways
• Joint secretary of the ministry of tourism
• Secretary of the ministry of shipping
• Secretary of the ministry of environment and forests
• The Secretary of the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation
• Other ministries differing on the case

Responsibilities: Entire guidance and review of the committee.

2. Central sanctioning  and Monitoring Committee

Chairperson: Secretary of the ministry of tourism
Members:

• Financial advisor of the ministry of tourism
• Additional secretary of the ministry of tourism
• Joint secretary of the ministry of tourism
• Other ministries differing on the case.

Responsibilities: Project sanctioning and monitoring of the progress made by the committee.

3. Mission Directorate

Chairperson: Joint secretary of the nationals saving certificate
Convener: Director of the ministry of tourism

Members:

• Director of the nationals saving certificate
• Secretary of the ministry of tourism of the concerned state
• Other ministries differing on the case.

Responsibilities: Consulting the state government and briefing them regarding the project. Moreover, manager appointment and approval seeking regarding the project.

The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee does this. Committee sanctioning and releasing funds also hiring implementing agencies. It also sets up Project Management Units.

4. Programme management Consultant

It is appointed by the Mission Directorate.

Responsibilities: They must form a Detailed Perspective Plan along with making business model plans based on the schemed of the government.

Also, Detailed Project Reports must be formed by them along with overseeing the project structuring. It also works on financial linkages and has many other responsibilities.

Fund Base

The responsibility to authorize funds is in accordance with the Government Financial Reporting System. All important decisions by the central government have to involve the Finance ministry.

All proposals are put to rout via the Integrated Finance Division of the ministry of tourism after which the funds are sanctioned to the state government in the following order:

• First Installment: Twenty percent payment
• Second Installment: Sixty percent payment after usage of the first installment
• Third Installment: Twenty percent payment after usage of the first two installment

However, for the north-eastern states, the order in which the funds are sanctioned differ in the following order:

• First Installment: Fifty percent of the total payment
• Second Installment: Thirty percent of the total payment after the utilization of the first installment
• Third Installment: Twenty percent of the total payment after the usage of the first and second installment

These decisions are taken by the Mission Directorate, keeping in mind the problems faced by the region chosen.

Groundwork Progress, Created Sites And Achievements of Prasad Scheme

• In 2017-18, an announcement regarding the set-up of five special tourism zones in partnership with the states. The budget includes Rs. 1,840.77 crores to the tourism ministry, and Rs. 250 crores in the fiscal budget.
• Rs.959.91 crores had been allocated for the Integrated Development of Tourist Circuits under the Swadesh Darshan scheme.
• Rs.100 crores have been allocated for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).
• Rs. 412 crores have been provided for promotion and publicity.
• The government asked the railways to dedicate trains for tourism and pilgrimage purposes.
• Incredible India campaigns were launched across the globe in 2017-18.
• Under the PRASAD scheme, the cities selected to be developed include:

1. Ajmer
2. Amritsar
3. Amravati
4. Dwarka
5. Gaya
6. Kamakhaya
7. Kancheepuram
8. Kedarnath
9. Mathura
10. Patna
11. Puri
12. Varanasi
13. Velankanni

• The Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme have also been introduced in support of PRASAD.
• Recently, 41 sites are added to 25 states such as Gangotri, Yamunotri, Parasnath, etc.

Conclusion

The PRASAD scheme focuses on empowering tourism regarding religious and spiritual sites. The economic development of the country gets a boost due to these.

It invests public funds in order to create and discover such places of historic, religious, and cultural importance. It still plays an important role in the nation’s development today.