PRASHAD scheme

News: The Centre is planning to develop tourist sites around major temples in Andhra Pradesh under the PRASHAD scheme.

About PRASHAD scheme

• The full form of the PRASAD scheme is ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual Augmentation Drive’.
• It is a Central Sector Scheme.
• It was launched in the year 2014-2015 with the objective of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations.
• Launched by: Ministry of Tourism. 
• Aim: To integrate pilgrimage destinations in a prioritised, planned and sustainable manner to provide a complete religious tourism experience. 
• Focus: This scheme focuses on developing and identifying pilgrimage sites across India for enriching the religious tourism experience. 
• Funding: It intends to utilize voluntary contributions through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to strengthen the long-term sustainability of its projects.
• Components of the scheme:  
  • Infrastructure Development: Development of tourism infrastructure at pilgrimage sites, including basic amenities, last-mile connectivity, lighting, parking, and other facilities for visitor convenience and safety.
  • Integrated Tourism Development of Heritage City: Focuses on improving civic infrastructure in heritage cities.
  • Capacity and Skill Development & Knowledge Management: Supports special courses and short-term training programs to address skill gaps, promotes local indigenous art and crafts, and ensures documentation and preservation of tourism knowledge.
  • Online Presence: Development of GIS-based portals, mobile applications, dashboards, and project monitoring systems to deliver tourism services, enable bookings, track progress, and support data analytics and reporting.
  • Information, Education, and Communication activities (IEC): IEC activities to promote awareness and outreach for the development of identified pilgrimage destinations.