The Union tourism ministry currently has no proposal under consideration for developing tourism infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla, Kupwara, Budgam and Bandipora districts, the government told Parliament.
The response came after Baramulla Lok Sabha member Abdul Rashid Sheikh aka Er. Rashid sought details of proposed tourism infrastructure projects in destinations including Gulmarg, Tangmarg, Uri, Lolab, Bangus, Kalaroose and Gurez, as well as new eco-tourism projects in the four districts.
Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said development and promotion of tourist destinations, including eco-tourism, was primarily the responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
The federal tourism ministry, however, provides financial assistance to states and union territories through schemes including Swadesh Darshan, Swadesh Darshan 2.0, Challenge Based Destination Development and PRASHAD, subject to scheme guidelines, availability of funds, submission of detailed project reports and other government priorities.
“Sanctioning of new project under the above-mentioned schemes is a continuous process,” Shekhawat said in a written reply.
The ministry said it had revamped the Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, with a focus on developing sustainable and responsible tourism destinations through a destination- and tourist-centric approach.
Existing J&K projects
The government said six projects had previously been sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir under the original Swadesh Darshan scheme.
Among them was a 96.75-crore-rupee project sanctioned in 2016-17 for the development of tourist facilities along the Gulmarg-Baramulla-Kupwara-Kargil-Leh circuit.
Other projects included development of tourist facilities along the Jammu-Srinagar-Pahalgam-Bhagwati Nagar-Anantnag-Salamabad-Uri-Kargil-Leh circuit, sanctioned at 77.33 crore rupees.
A separate project covering Jammu, Rajouri, Shopian and Pulwama was sanctioned at 81.60 crore rupees, while 90.43 crore rupees was sanctioned for tourism assets destroyed in the 2014 floods under the Prime Minister’s Development Package.
The ministry also listed projects covering Mantalai and Sudhmahadev, sanctioned at 91.99 crore rupees, and Anantnag, Pulwama, Kishtwar, Pahalgam, Zanskar, Padum, Daksum and Ranjit Sagar Dam, sanctioned at 86.39 crore rupees.
Under the PRASHAD scheme, the Centre sanctioned 40.46 crore rupees in 2016-17 for development at the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar.
The government said new projects under its tourism schemes can be considered on an ongoing basis, but no proposal covering Baramulla, Kupwara, Budgam or Bandipora was currently under consideration.
