WHY IN THE NEWS?

• The government of India has started work for the development of ‘Parshuram Kund’, a Hindu pilgrimage site on the Brahmaputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohit river in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The project costing Rs 37.88 crore was sanctioned under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.
• The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2014-15 with complete financial assistance by the Government of India.
• It was targeted to develop tourism infrastructure to harness pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations for its direct and multiplier effect upon employment generation and economic development.