The first meeting of National Committee on Ramayan Circuit and National Committee on Krishna Circuit, under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism (MoT), was recently held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Tourism and Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma. Vinod Zutshi, secretary, MoT, and experts and senior officers of the ministry were also present. Presentations were made on Pan-India Ramayana & Krishna Circuit on the occasion.
Under Ramayana Circuit, 11 destinations spread across six states have been proposed, which include Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringhverpur and Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh); Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga (Bihar); Jagdalpur (Chattisgarh); Bhadrachalam (Telangana); Hampi (Karnataka); and Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu). Expert committee suggested to include Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Nashik and Nagpur (Maharashtra) and Mahendragiri (Odisha) in the proposed circuit.
Under Krishna circuit, 12 destinations spread across five states have been proposed. The destinations covered are: Dwarka (Gujarat); Nathdwara, Jaipur and Sikar (Rajasthan); Kurukshetra (Haryana), Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana, Nandgaon and Govardhan (Uttar Pradesh); Puri (Odisha). These destinations were approved by the expert committee.
Further, projects worth more than Rs 300 crore were approved in-principle in Uttar Pradesh under both the circuits.
The Ministry of Tourism had launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 2014-15 with an aim to develop theme based tourist circuits in the country on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner by synergising efforts to focus on needs and concerns of all stakeholders to enrich tourist experience and enhance employment opportunities.
Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, 13 thematic circuits have been identified for development namely 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.
