Swadesh Darshan Scheme – The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, has launched the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, a Central Sector programme, for the integrated development of theme-based tourism circuits. The programme intends to advance, expand, and maximise India’s tourist industry’s potential. The Swadesh Darshan Scheme’s goal, importance, and other details will all be covered in length in this page.
About Swadesh Darshan Scheme
Swadesh Darshan is a Central Sector Scheme. The Government of India’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture introduced it in 2014–15. There are theme-based tourist circuits in the nation. These tourist circuits will be created using integrated principles of high tourist value, competitiveness, and sustainability. The Swadesh Darshan has identified 15 thematic circuits for development. The Ministry of Tourism offers State Governments and Union Territory Administrations Central Financial Assistance (CFA) through the Swadesh Darshan programme for the construction of circuits’ infrastructure.
Swadesh Darshan Scheme Details in Highlights
| Scheme Name | Swadesh Darshan Scheme |
| Started by | Government of India |
| Objective | Promote Indian Tourism |
| Current Status | Active |
| Launch Year | 2014-15 |
Swadesh Darshan Scheme – a fillip to cultural & heritage tourism in 500 destinations across 31 states in India! #8YearsOfPreservingCulture pic.twitter.com/j1T5TpBzAg — MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) June 2, 2024
Objective of Darshan Swadesh
With the goal of placing the tourism sector as a significant engine for job creation and the driving force behind economic growth, this programme is intended to work in tandem with other programmes like the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, Make in India, etc. to maximise tourism’s potential.
What is a Tourist Circuit?
A tourism circuit is a path that includes at least three popular tourist attractions that are not located in the same town, village, or city and are not far apart. An entry point and an exit point should be clearly marked on tourist circuits. Therefore, a visitor should feel inspired to see the majority of the locations included on the circuit.
Theme-based tourist circuits now revolve around a variety of topics, including those related to religion, culture, ethnicity, speciality, etc. A theme-based circuit can just travel through one state, or it can travel through a region that includes several states or Union territories.
Objective of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme
Following are the goals of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme
- To plan and prioritise the development of circuits with tourist appeal
- Integrated development of a theme-based circuit identified
- To encourage employment by getting local communities involved.
- Follow a pro-poor tourism and community-based development strategy.
- Promote the nation’s culture and heritage
- By creating world-class infrastructure in the circuits or locations, to increase the tourist appeal in a sustainable way.
- To inform the local populations of the value of tourism to them in terms of increased income sources, raised quality of life, and regional development in general.
- To promote regional food, handicrafts, culture, and other aspects of local life in order to create jobs in the targeted areas
- to maximise tourism’s potential for its direct and multiplicative impact on the creation of jobs and the growth of the economy.
- to make use of the public’s resources and knowledge.
Aim of the Swadesh Darshan Program
- Promoting travel as a driver of economic expansion and employment creation.
- Transforming India into a top-tier travel destination.
- Creating theme-based routes that combine ecological and cultural preservation with ecotourism.
- Advancing modernity and professionalism in the tourism industry with a focus on thorough infrastructural development.
- Delivering comprehensive tourism by boosting visitor appeal in a sustainable way.
Swadesh Darshan – 15 Theme-Based Circuits
Buddha Circuit: The most significant pilgrimage sites for Buddhist travellers are included in the Buddha Circuit. Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh are the states covered.
Coastal Circuit – India’s reputation as the land of “Sun, Sea, and Surf” will be strengthened by Coastal Circuit. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, and other states make up India’s lengthy (7,517 KM) coastline. Andaman and Nicobar Island are also included in the coastal circuit.
Desert Circuit – A specialised tourism circuit in India, the desert circuit draws visitors from all over the world. India is blessed with large deserts in addition to its flowing rivers and enormous forests. The Thar Desert’s sand dunes and extremely high temperatures, Kutch’s dry plains, and Ladakh’s and Himachal’s dry, chilly valleys also draw a lot of tourists.
Eco Circuit –The Eco Circuit seeks to improve the relationship between visitors and the natural world. The circuit intends to develop eco-friendly and natural sites so that tourists from outside and at home can appreciate the variety of eco-tourism products available in India. Kerala, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Mizoram, and Jharkhand are the states covered.
Heritage Circuit: With 36 UNESCO world legacy sites and another 36 or so on the tentative list, India is blessed with a rich and dynamic heritage and culture. The historic circuit attempts to satisfy the needs of the international traveller by focusing on preservation, sustenance, and improved interpretive elements. Rajasthan, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Puducherry, Punjab, Uttrakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana are the states covered by this circuit.
The North East Circuit encompasses the development of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim as tourism destinations.
Himalayan Circuit – The Himalayan Circuit honours the Indian Himalayan Region by strategically encompassing the whole country’s northern boundary. States like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the North-East region are included in the Indian Himalayan Region.
Sufi Circuit: This circuit in India attempts to honour the long-standing Sufi customs of the nation. The Sufi Tradition and Sufi saints are still honoured in the nation today for their guidance on the path of unity in variety, intergroup harmony, and the creation of their own distinctive music, art, and culture.
Krishna Circuit –In the past, Krishna Circuit travel has been connected to religion in India. The development of numerous popular tourist locations can be attributed to the fact that religion and spirituality have long been common travel objectives. The main goal of the Krishna Circuit is to develop the locations connected to Lord Krishna’s tales throughout numerous states, primarily Haryana and Rajasthan.
Ramayana Circuit: The development of the Ramayana Circuit is primarily intended to improve the visitor experience at the venues linked with the Lord Rama legends around the nation. Uttar Pradesh is the state that is the focus of this circuit.
Rural Circuit: The creation of this circuit aims to use tourism as a force multiplier to revive rural economies and provide both domestic and foreign visitors with a sight of the “True” India. The circuit includes the Bihar Gandhi Circuit: Bhitiharwa – Chandrahia – Turkaulia and the Rural Circuit Malanad Malabar Cruise Tourism.
Himalayan Circuit: In honour of the Indian Spiritual Circuit, the Himalayan Circuit It should come as no surprise that India, “The home of Spirituality,” needs tourist facilities all over the country for these places, with more than 330 million people travelling for spiritual reasons each year worldwide. India is a “Must” destination for spiritual tourism both domestically and internationally since it is the origin of four main religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, as well as a warm reservoir of all the major and micro-minority religious beliefs throughout time. Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Puducherry are the states that the spiritual circuit is focusing on.
Tirthankar Circuit – The country is dotted with many Jain Shrines that commemorate the lives and accomplishments of the Jain Tirthankaras, who have always disseminated the message of peace, love, and enlightenment. The Tirthankar circuit aspires to develop all the tourist sites, from a distinct and one-of-a-kind architectural style to cuisine and crafts.
India is a major destination for wildlife tourism because of the tremendous diversity of animals there. The goal of India’s numerous national and state wildlife preserves and sanctuaries is “Sustainable,” “Ecological,” and “Nature Centric” development. Assam and Madhya Pradesh are the two states being examined. Continue reading the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act at the provided link.
Indian tribal people have so far been able to maintain their age-old rituals, traditions, and culture despite living in the modern era. The purpose of the tribal circuits is to provide a close-up, first-hand look at India’s colourful tribal customs, culture, festivals, craftsmanship, art, rituals, etc. to the “Modern Traveller.” For development, the tribal circuit includes Telangana, Nagaland, and Chhattisgarh.
Contact Information
Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma (Additional Secretary)
Room No.119, Transport Bhawan, 1, Parliament Street,
New Delhi – 110 001