PRASAD Project

Why in News

• Recently, the President inaugurated PRASAD project at the tourism facilitation centre in the pilgrim town of Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.

About PRASAD scheme

• The full form of the PRASAD scheme is ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive’. 
• The scheme was launched in the year 2014-2015.
• It comes under the Ministry of Tourism. 

Aim:

• • This scheme focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience.

• • It aims to integrate pilgrimage destinations in a prioritised, planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism experience.

• Funding:

• • The Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to state governments under the Prasad scheme to promote tourism at pilgrim sites.

• • The Central Government will cover 100% of the costs under this program.

• • For improved sustainability, it also includes a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

• Cities Identified Under PRASAD Scheme: 

• • Amritsar (Punjab).

• • Kedarnath (Uttarakhand).

• • Mathura (Uttar Pradesh).

• • Ajmer (Rajasthan).

• • Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh).

• • Gaya (Bihar).

• • Kamakhya (Assam).

• • Dwaraka (Gujarat).

• • Puri (Odisha).

• • Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh).

• • Kanchipuram(Tamil Nadu).

• • Velankanni (Tamil Nadu).