Ministry of Tourism (MoT) under its Schemes of Swadesh Darshan, Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) and Assistance to Central Agencies provides assistance to the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations/ Central Agencies for development of Tourism infrastructure in the country. The projects for development under the schemes are identified in consultation with the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations/Central Agencies and are sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable detailed project reports, adherence to scheme guidelines and utilization of funds released earlier etc.
The Ministry has now revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) with the objective to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations, following a tourist & destination centric approach. Gaya and Nalanda have been selected for development under SD2.0 whereas Punaura Dham in Sitamarhi District of Bihar is a site identified for development under PRASHAD Scheme of MoT. This information was given by Minister of Tourism Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today