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PRASHAD SCHEME - IAS Academy in Coimbatore

Dec 30, 2022

PRASHAD SCHEME

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

  • 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.