Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0

• The government recently chose 15 States from around the nation to be marketed as part of India's new domestic tourism policy as part of the first phase of the "Swadesh Darshan 2" (starting in January 2023).
• This policy abandons tourist circuits based on themes and instead places an emphasis on revitalising destination tourism.
• Ajanta and Ellora in Maharashtra, Gwalior, Chitrakoot, and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, and Jhansi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh are a few of the well-known locations mentioned.

About The Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

• Theme-based circuits: The Buddhist Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Desert Circuit, Eco Circuit, Heritage Circuit, Northeast Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Sufi Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Ramayana Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Tirthankar Circuit, and Wildlife Circuit were among the theme-based tourist circuits that it was launched for in 2014–15.

• It is entirely funded at the federal level, and efforts are made to align it with other programmes of the federal and state governments as well as to make the most of the voluntary funding for corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes offered by central public sector undertakings and the private sector.
• Positioning tourism as a significant driver of economic expansion and employment development is the main goal.
• Create tourist-friendly circuits in a planned and organised manner.
• Promote the nation's cultural and historical assets to provide jobs and a means of subsistence in the targeted areas.
• Creating world-class infrastructure in the circuit/destinations to increase visitor appeal in a sustainable way.
• Follow a pro-poor tourism and community-based development strategy.
• Educating the locals about the value of tourism for their increasing sources of income, higher standards of living, and overall development of the region.
• Creating tourist facilitation services to improve visitor pleasure and experience

About The Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0:

• The redesigned programme, Swadesh Darshan 2.0, aims to achieve "Aatmanirbhar Bharat" by fulfilling India's full potential as a tourist destination under the motto "voice for local."
• In order to transform the Swadesh Darshan Scheme into a comprehensive mission to create sustainable and ethical tourist destinations, Swadesh Darshan 2.0 represents a generational leap rather than an incremental adjustment.
• With a focus on tourists and destinations, it will assist in the development of sustainable and responsible destinations.
• The creation of benchmarks and standards for both general and theme-specific tourism destination development will be encouraged, and the States will use these benchmarks and standards when organising and implementing their projects.

For tourism under the Scheme, the following significant topics have been highlighted.

• Culture and Heritage
• Adventure Tourism
• Eco-Tourism
• Wellness Tourism
• MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) Tourism
• Rural Tourism
• Beach Tourism
• Cruises – Ocean & Inland

Importance: The redesigned plan aims to increase how much tourism contributes to regional economies.

• It aims to develop local youth's skills in tourism and hospitality, to increase private sector investment in tourism and hospitality, to protect and enhance local cultural and natural resources, and to provide jobs for local communities, including self-employment.

Other Tourism Initiatives of India :

PRASHAD Scheme :

• In order to improve the religious tourist experience, this programme focuses on creating and identifying pilgrimage sites around India.
• To offer a comprehensive religious tourism experience, it strives to integrate pilgrimage places in a prioritised, organised, and sustainable manner.

Iconic Tourist Sites” Initiative:

• The government will develop 17 “Iconic Tourist Sites” in the country as world-class tourist destinations which in turn would serve as a model for other tourist sites.
• The Tourism Ministry is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the initiative.

The 17 sites identified by the Ministry are:

• Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh),
• Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra),
• Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort, and Qutub Minar (Delhi),
• Colva (Goa),
• Amer Fort (Rajasthan),
• Somnath and Dholavira (Gujarat),
• Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh),
• Hampi (Karnataka),
• Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu),
• Kaziranga (Assam)
• Kumarakom (Kerala) and
• The Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar)

The initiative is aimed at enhancing India’s soft power

The monuments taken up for development under the initiative fall under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) and State Archaeology Departments.

Dekho The Apna Desh

• Initiative was introduced by the Ministry of Tourism in 2020 to encourage people to travel widely throughout the nation, allowing for the growth of domestic tourism infrastructure and tourist services.

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