Tourism Ministry is in the process of declaring Sabarimala and Guruvayur temples in Kerala under the PRASAD scheme, meant for developing pilgrimage centres, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma said today.
"We have already cleared Padmanabhaswamy temple. Consideration of Guruvayur and Sabarimala in PRASAD scheme is under consideration. Hopefully it will be done. We are in the process of declaring both the places," Tourism and Culture Minister Sharma told reporters after meeting Kerala Tourism Minister A P Anil Kumar here.
The Minister said he plans to visit Sabarimala temple in Kerala "shortly," adding he has already visited Guruvayur temple.
Also Read
Sharma said he was in Kerala yesterday but did not visit the temple as "somebody suggested" that it was rush time at the temple and his visit would "disturb" the situation there.
As many as 13 cities-- namely Ajmer, Amritsar, Amravati, Dwarka, Gaya, Kamakhaya, Kanchipuram, Kedarnath, Mathura, Patna, Puri, Varanasi and Velankanni -- have been identified for development under Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) by the Ministry of Tourism.
On the Product or Infrastructure Development for Destinations and Circuits (PIDDC) scheme under which funds are sanctioned to states or UTs for developing tourism destinations and circuits, he said "Whatever balance amount that have been left out, we are trying to complete it."
He said that states' share have been increased from 32 per cent to 42 per cent and the Central government proposes that whichever project is left out should be completed from the 10 per cent extra funds released from the Centre to the state governments.
Considering this, he said the "project half funded" should also be completed.
