Association of Buddhist Tour Operator (ABTO) International Convention

On December 10, 2020, the Union Minister of state for tourism and culture Shri Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurated the Association of Buddhist our operators International Convention in New Delhi. The convention is to be held in partnership with Ministry of Tourism.

Recent development in the tourism sector of India

During the inauguration ceremony the Minister made the following announcements

• The Swadesh Darshan scheme and PRASAD Yojana was launched to develop the tourism industry in the country.
• Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, more than 350 crores of Rupees have been sanctioned for the development of Buddhist sites
• More than 900 crores of Rupees have been sanctioned under the PRASAD scheme.
• Currently the Archaeological Survey of India is revising its list of monuments and in coming days the number of monuments under Archaeological Survey of India is to increase significantly.
• The Ministry of Tourism is planning to register accommodation units under the National Integrated database of hospitality industry, a portal that operates under Ministry of Tourism. So far more than 32000 accommodation units have been registered under the postal.

Prasad scheme

It is Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive. It was launched in 2015. The scheme mainly aims to integrate the development of pilgrimage destinations in a planned and sustainable manner. The scheme has identified 12 cities for the development of pilgrimage and heritage destinations. They are Kamakhya of Assam, Amaravati of Andhra Pradesh, Gaya of Bihar, Dwarka of Gujarat, Amritsar of Punjab, Puri of Odisha, Ajmer of Rajasthan, Kedarnath of Uttrakhand, Velankanni of Tamilnadu, Kanchipuram of Tamilnadu, Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh and Mathura of Uttar Pradesh.

The main objectives of the scheme include enhancing tourism attractiveness, promote local art and culture, cuisines and handicraft. It also aims to develop world class infrastructure in religious destinations.

The developmental activities under the scheme include development of lighting and illumination with renewable energy sources, first aid centres, toilets, waiting rooms, developing eco-friendly modes of transport, drinking water, rain Shelters, internet connectivity, etc. It will also develop basic tourism facilities such as information

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2020