Swadesh Darshan Scheme: Tourism Circuits

The Swadesh Darshan Scheme is program established by the Ministry of Tourism of for the integrated development of themed sightseeing tours. The aim of the program is to develop, utilize and promote the tourism potential of  India.

Highlights

• It was launched in 2014-15
• It is thematic tours in the country.
• These tourist routes are developed in an integrated manner according to the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability.
• 15 thematic circuits were identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan.
• As part of the Swadesh Darshan Program, Tourism ministry provides Union territories and state governments with a centralized grant for the development of infrastructure.
• This program aims to work in synergy with other programs like Skill India, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Make in India, etc. to position the tourism sector as an important engine for job creation.

Tourism Circuits

The Tourist Circuit is defined as a route in which there are at least three important tourist destinations that are not located in the same city, town or town and are not separated by a great distance. Tourist circles should have well-defined entry and exit points. Therefore, a tourist who goes up must be motivated to visit most of the places identified on the route.

Theme Based Tourism Circuits

Buddha Circuit –pilgrimage destinations for Buddhist tourists. The states covered are Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Coastal Circuit- The long coast of India stretches over states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Desert Circuit- The high temperatures and sand dunes of the Thar Desert, the valleys of cold and dry Ladakh, the arid lands of Kutch and Himachal attract a lot of tourist.

Eco tourism circuit- The states covered are Uttarakhand, Kerala, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Mizoram.

Heritage Circuit- The states include Assam, Rajasthan, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.

Northeast Circuit- The states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland and Sikkim are included.

Himalayan Circuit- The Indian Himalayan region includes Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and the northeast region.

Sufi Circuit- This circuit in India aims to celebrate the ancient Sufi tradition of the country.

Krishna Circuit- The development of the Krishna circle is aimed at developing the places associated with the legends of Lord Krishna in different states, mainly Rajasthan and Haryana.

Ramayana Circuit- The main objective of the development of the Ramayana Circuit is to develop the places associated with the legends of Lord Rama. Uttar Pradesh is the main focus state.

Rural Circuit- The route includes the Bihar Gandhi Circuit, Malanad Malabar Rural Tourist Cruise Circuit and Chandrahia- Bhitiharwa – Turkaulia.

Spiritual Circuit- The states included are Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Bihar, Manipur, Puducherry and Rajasthan.

Tirthankar Circuit- There are countless Jain shrines in the landscape and speak of the connection to the activities and life of the Jain Tirthankaras.

Wildlife Circuit- States under focus are Madhya Pradesh and Assam.

Tribal Circuit- Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Telangana are included in this circuit.