DRNew Delhi: K J Alphons, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism, in a written reply in Lok Sabha said that the Ministry has till date sanctioned 73 projects with Central Financial Assistance for Rs. 5873.26 crores covering 30 States/UT Administrations under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
The sanctioning of new projects under the scheme is a continuous process. Projects are identified in consultation with the State Governments/UT Administrations and sanctioned subject to availability of funds, submission of suitable detailed project reports, adherence to scheme guidelines and utilisation of funds released earlier. All the projects sanctioned under the circuits are at various stages of implementation.
The Minister also informed that the Ramayana Circuit is one of the fifteen thematic circuits identified for development under the scheme. For the state of Chhattisgarh, the Ministry has sanctioned the project for Development of Tribal Tourism Circuit in Jashpur-Kunkuri-Mainpat-Ambikapur-Maheshpur-Ratanpur-Kurdar-Sarodadadar-Gangrel-Kondagaon-Nathiya Nawagaon- Jagdalpur-Chitrakoot-Tirthgarh in the year 2015-16 with a total sanction amount of Rs.99.21 crore.
The Minister also noted a nearly 16 per cent growth in FTAs for Medical Tourism in 2017. He said that FTAs in India on medical visa during 2016 and 2017 registered a positive growth of 15.9 per cent. The Ministry has taken various steps including the formation of a National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board and the launch a healthcare portal.
