Swadesh Darshan 2.0

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 1

The government recently revamped the scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) to develop sustainable and responsible destinations with tourist and destination centric approach.

• 15 states with two or three destinations each have been identified to be developed under the scheme which seeks to provide financial support to strengthen tourist infrastructure 

Swadesh Darshan 2.0

• Fifteen States are part of the first phase which include Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
• Two destinations from each State have been identified
• Some of the prominent places identified are Jhansi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Gwalior, Chitrakoot and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh and Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra.
• The Swadesh Darshan scheme is 100% centrally funded.
• The government recently revamped the scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) to develop sustainable and responsible destinations with tourist and destination centric approach.
• The scheme has been revamped with the mantra of “vocal for local”.
• According to the Ministry, domestic tourist visits in 2021 were around 677 million and in 2022 (data available till date) is 572 million.

Significance

• This is a very positive step as it has made State government as well as the local government as stakeholders. 
• Local community would immensely benefit as It would help create jobs and that would lead to skill development among the natives. 
• This shall directly boost the economy of the region. 
• Further destination division as adventure tourism, beach tourism, wellness tourism, Eco-tourism and several other categories would help segregate the tourists as per their preference.

The Swadesh Darshan Scheme 

• It was launched by the Centre in 2014-15 for the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits. 
• Under the scheme, the Ministry of Tourism provides financial assistance to State governments, Union Territory Administrations or Central Agencies for development of tourism infrastructure in the country.
• The scheme was envisioned to synergise with other government schemes such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, and Make in India with the idea of positioning the tourism sector as a major engine for job creation, driving force for economic growth, building synergy with various sectors to enable tourism to realise its potential.
• Some of the prominent circuits launched under this were the Buddhist tourist circle, Ambedkar Tourist Circle and the North-East Tourist Circle.
• Part 1 of Swadesh Darshan had faced some criticism mainly pertaining to “resources being spread thin due to the many destinations being covered and too many stakeholders being involved”.
• Out of the 76 projects sanctioned under the scheme, 52 have been completed.