DBT Bureau,
Bhubaneswar, 5 August 2024
The Visa-on-Arrival facility is available to nationals of Japan, South Korea and the UAE for tourism, business, conference, and medical purposes, allowing a stay of up to 60 days with double entry through six designated airports.
The Ministry of Tourism conducts need-based surveys, research, studies, and feasibility assessments in the field of tourism. These surveys and studies form the basis for developing policies and are critical in understanding whether policies and programs are meeting their intended objectives. They also help identify areas for improvement.
The E-Visa facility with Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is currently available to nationals of 167 countries for entry through 30 designated international airports and six major seaports.
15 State Governments/UT Administrations have deployed tourist police in various forms. Additionally, the Ministry has established a 24×7 Multi-Lingual Tourist Info-Helpline, available on the toll-free number 1800111363 or via the short code 1363, offering support in 12 languages, including 10 international languages. This helpline provides information related to travel in India and offers appropriate guidance to tourists in distress while traveling in the country.
The Ministry of Tourism launched the Swadesh Darshan scheme in 2014-15, which provides financial assistance to States/UT Administrations/Central Agencies for the development of tourism infrastructure. Since its inception up to 2018-19, a total of 76 projects under identified thematic circuits have been sanctioned with a revised sanction amount of Rs 5287.90 crore, of which Rs 4944.47 crore have been released. The Ministry has revamped the Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations with a tourist and destination-centric approach.
Additionally, the Ministry of Tourism launched the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) as a central sector scheme aimed at the integrated development of identified pilgrimage destinations. Under the PRASHAD Scheme, Rs 1621.14 crore have been sanctioned, with Rs 1024.18 crore released.
This information was provided by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
