Consent given to Pan-India Ramayana & Krishna Circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme
Miscellaneous
India
1st Meeting of National Committee on Ramayana Circuit & Krishna Circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme was held on 14 June 2016. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Tourism & Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma.
During the meeting proposal to set up 11 Ramayana Circuits and 12 Krishna Circuits were approved.
The destinations for these two circuits were earlier approved by the expert committee.
Destinations under Ramayana Circuit
Under Ramayana Circuit, 11 destinations spread across 6 states are proposed. These are:
• Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringhverpur & Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh)
• Sitamarhi, Buxar & Darbhanga (Bihar)
• Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh)
• Bhadrachalam (Telangana)
• Hampi (Karnataka)
• Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu)
Expert committee also suggested including Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Nashik & Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Mahendragiri (Odisha) in the proposed circuit.
Destinations under Krishna Circuit
Under Krishna circuit, 12 destinations spread across 5 states are proposed. These are:
• Dwarka (Gujarat)
• Nathdwara, Jaipur & Sikar (Rajasthan)
• Kurukshetra (Haryana)
• Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon & Govardhan (Uttar Pradesh)
• Puri (Odisha)
Besides, projects worth more than 300 crores rupees were approved in-principle in Uttar Pradesh under both the circuits.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme
Swadesh Darshan Scheme was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in 2014-15 with an aim to develop theme based tourist circuits in the country. It will be developed on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner by synergizing efforts. The scheme focuses on needs and concerns of all stakeholders to enrich tourist experience and enhance employment opportunities.
Under the Scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified, for development. These are: North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
