PRASHAD Scheme

• 29 Dec 2022

Why in News?

Recently, the President of India laid the foundation stone for the project ‘Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples’ in Telangana.

• Another project named 'Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure at Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple' was also laid later on.
• Both these projects have been approved under the PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

What are the Key Features of the Temples?

• Bhadrachalam Group of Temples:
  • The temple at Bhadrachalam is said to be more than 350 years old and is closely associated with the epic of Ramayana.
  • It is believed that Lord Rama with his wife Goddess Sita and brother Lakshmana spent some part of their 14 years of exile at a village called Parnasala, a part of Dandakaranya forest near Bhadrachalam Temple.
  • These group of temples are situated on the left bank of the Godavari River.
• Ramappa Temple:
  • The Ramappa temple of Lord Shiva, a perfect example of architectural brilliance, was built in 1213 AD by the Kakatiya rulers and has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
  • This heritage temple attracts over 10 Lakh visitors every year and has a high visibility amongst the tourist circuit.

What is PRASHAD Scheme?

• About:
  • The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive’ (PRASAD) was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15 with the objective of holistic development of identified pilgrimage destinations.
  • The name of the scheme was changed from PRASAD to “National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)” in October 2017.
    • After the discontinuation of the HRIDAY scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the development of Heritage destinations was included in the PRASAD Scheme, changing it to PRASHAD.
  • Under the PRASHAD Scheme, several religious cities/sites in have been identified for development such as Amaravati and Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Kamakhya (Assam), Parasuram Kund (Lohit District, Arunachal Pradesh), Patna and Gaya (Bihar), etc.
• Implementation Agency:
  • The projects identified under this scheme shall be implemented through the identified agencies by the respective State/ Union Territory Government.
• Funding Mechanism:
  • The Central Government provides 100% funding for the project components undertaken for public funding.
    • This scheme seeks to leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for improved sustainability of the projects under this scheme.

Source: PIB