Parliament Question: Development of Katarniaghat Wildlife Division as an Eco-Tourism Hotspot

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†2604 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 DEVELOPMENT OF KATARNIAGHAT WILDLIFE DIVISION AS AN ECO-TOURISM HOTSPOT †2604. DR. ANAND KUMAR: Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division, spread over an area of 551 square kilometres in Bahraich district, is very important for rare wildlife like tigers, elephants, leopards, chital, rhinoceros, deer etc., and for the presence of dolphins in the Gerua River; (b) whether the Government plans to develop the said area from the point of view of tourism facilities; (c) the details of the steps taken so far in this area to develop infrastructure such as road connectivity, accommodation, guide facilities, boating, security and publicity to make tourism more attractive and accessible; and (d) whether the Government is implementing after making any comprehensive action plan/policy or considering any such action plan to develop this area as a major eco-tourism hotspot at national and international level and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (d): The Ministry of Tourism recognizes importance of all the tourist destinations including Katarniaghat wildlife division and various tourism products of the country. Development and promotion of tourism destinations in the country including formulation of specific development action plans is primarily done by the concerned State Government (SG)/UT Administration (UTA). However, Ministry of Tourism under its various schemes such as Swadesh Darshan (SD); Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0); Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD), an initiative under Swadesh Darshan;Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) etc. provides financial assistance for development of tourism infrastructure and experiences in the country including those related wildlife tourism to the SGs/UTAs on receipt of the project proposals from them, in synergy with the scheme guidelines, Government directions, availability of funds, inter-se priority etc. A range of components which may enhance tourism facilitation at the destinations are considered for sanctioning, as per project requirement including those related to tourism core products, tourism activities, safety, sanitation, connectivity, parking, general site development, soft interventions etc. The details of the projects sanctioned under SD, SD2.0, CBDD and PRASHAD schemes in the state of Uttar Pradesh is annexed. Government of India in 2024-25 sanctioned the projects ‘Development of Bateshwar in District-Agra’ for Rs.74.05 Crore and ‘Integrated Buddhist Tourism Development in Shrawasti’ for Rs.80.24 Crore in the State of Uttar Pradesh under its initiative for ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI)-Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale’. Further, Ministry has released ‘National Strategy for sustainable tourism’ which aims to mainstream sustainability in the Indian tourism sector and ‘National Strategy for Eco-Tourism’ with the vision to position India as a preferred destination for ecotourism. The Ministry also envisaged ‘Travel for LiFE (TFL)’, a programme for tourism sector under Mission LiFE, to create awareness about sustainable tourism and to nudge the tourists and tourism businesses to adopt sustainable practices synchronous with nature. The programme aims to mainstream sustainability into tourism sector towards developing a sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism sector. ********ANNEXURE STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†2604 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF KATARNIAGHAT WILDLIFE DIVISION AS AN ECO- TOURISM HOTSPOT RAISED BY DR. ANAND KUMAR Details of the projects sanctioned under SD, SD2.0, CBDD and PRASHAD schemes in the state of Uttar Pradesh Scheme Name of the project Year of Sanction Sanction Amount (Rs. In Crore) Swadesh Development of Srawasti, 2016-17 87.89 Darshan Kushinagar, & Kapilwastu Development of Chitrakoot and 2016-17 69.45 Shringverpur Development of Ahar-Aligarh- 2016-17 71.91 Kasganj-Sarosi (Unnao)-Pratapgarh- Kausambi-Mirzapur-Gorakhpur- Domariyaganj-Basti-Barabanki- Azamgarh-Kairana- Baghpat- Shahjahanpur Development of Bijnor- Meerut- 2016-17 67.51 Kanpur- Kanpur Dehat- Banda- Ghazipur- Salempur- Ghosi- Balia- Ambedkar Nagar- Aligarh- Fatehpur- Deoria- Mahoba- Sonbhadra- Chandauli- Mishrikh- Bhadohi Development of Kalinjar Fort (Banda)- 2016-17 36.65 Maghar Dham (Sant Kabir Nagar)- Chauri Chaura, Shaheed Sthal (Fatehpur)- Mahuar shaheed Sthal (Ghosi)- Shaheed Smarak (Meerut) Development of Ayodhya 2017-18 127.21 Development of Jewar-Dadri- 2018-19 12.03 Sikandrabad-Noida-Khurja-Banda Development of Gorakhnath Temple 2018-19 18.30 (Gorakhpur), Devipattan Temple (Balrampur) and Vatvashni Temple (Domariyagunj)Swadesh Vedic- wellness Experience, 2023-24 17.80 Darshan Naimisharanya 2.0 Azad Park and Dekho Prayagraj Trail 2023-24 14.52 Experince, Prayagraj CBDD Development of Cultural Landscape 2024-25 24.98 at Mahoba PRASHAD Development of Varanasi – Phase –I 2015-16 18.73 Development of Mathura-Vrindavan 2014-15 10.98 as Mega Tourist Circuit (Ph-II) River Cruise Tourism in Ganga, 2017-18 9.02 Varanasi Construction of Tourist Facilitation 2014-15 9.36 Centre at Vrindavan Development of Varanasi – Phase –II 2017-18 44.60 Development of Infrastructure 2018-19 37.59 facilities at Govardhan *****