Parliament Question: Development of STZs in Uttar Pradesh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.144 ANSWERED ON 29.01.2026 DEVELOPMENT OF STZs IN UTTAR PRADESH 144 SHRI RATANJIT PRATAP NARAIN SINGH: Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state: (a) the details of policy of Government for developing ‘Special Tourism Zones’ (STZs); (b) whether Government has identified any region in Uttar Pradesh to be developed as an STZ; (c) the potential for declaring the Kushinagar-Sarnath-Bodhgaya circuit, or Kushinagar alone as an STZ; (d) the benefits, such as tax incentives and single-window clearances, that would accrue from such a designation; and (e) the status of any proposal to declare Kushinagar as an STZ to attract large-scale investment in hotels and resorts? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (e): The Ministry of Tourism has presently not sanctioned any scheme to develop ‘Special Tourism Zones (STZ)’ in the country. While development and promotion of tourism destinations and products is primarily undertaken by the concerned State Government (SG)/Union Territory Administration (UTA), Ministry of Tourism through its centre sectors schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan (SD), Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0)’, ‘Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD), a sub- scheme of Swadesh Darshan scheme and ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ complements the efforts of tourism infrastructure development in the country by extending financial assistance to the SGs/UTAs on receipt of the project proposals from the concerned State Government/Union Territory Administration in synergy with the scheme guidelines, Government directions, availability of funds etc. Government of India under its ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) – Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale’ has also sanctioned projects with the primary objective to comprehensively develop iconic tourist centres in the country, branding and marketing them at global scale. The details of the projects sanctioned by the Ministry under the above-mentioned schemes in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar is annexed. *****ANNEXURE STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.144 ANSWERED ON 29.01.2026 REGARDING DEVELOPMENT OF STZs IN UTTAR PRADESH RAISED BY SHRI RATANJIT PRATAP NARAIN SINGH Details of the projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan (SD), SD2.0, CBDD, PRASHAD and SASCI schemes in the state of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar: Uttar Pradesh (Amount in ₹Crore) Scheme/ S. Name of the Project/ Experience Circuit/ Year of Amount Sub- No. Destination sanction sanctioned scheme Swadesh 1 Development of Srawasti, Buddhist 2016-17 87.89 Darshan Kushinagar, &Kapilwastu Circuit (SD) 2 Development of Chitrakoot and Ramayana 2016-17 69.45 Shringverpur Circuit 3. Development of Ahar-Aligarh- Spiritual 2016-17 71.91 Kasganj-Sarosi (Unnao)- Circuit Pratapgarh- Kausambi-Mirzapur- Gorakhpur-Domariyaganj-Basti- Barabanki-Azamgarh-Kairana- Baghpat- Shahjahanpur 4. Development of Bijnor- Meerut- Spiritual 2016-17 67.51 Kanpur- Kanpur Dehat- Banda- Circuit Ghazipur- Salempur- Ghosi- Balia- Ambedkar Nagar- Aligarh- Fatehpur- Deoria- Mahoba- Sonbhadra- Chandauli- Mishrikh- Bhadohi 5. Development of Kalinjar Fort Heritage 2016-17 36.65 (Banda)- Maghar Dham (Sant Kabir Circuit Nagar)- Chauri Chaura, Shaheed Sthal (Fatehpur)- Mahuar shaheed Sthal (Ghosi)- Shaheed Smarak (Meerut) 6. Development of Ayodhya Ramayana 2017-18 127.21 Circuit 7. Development of Jewar-Dadri- Spiritual 2018-19 12.03 Sikandrabad-Noida-Khurja-Banda Circuit 8. Development of Gorakhnath Spiritual 2018-19 18.30 Temple (Gorakhpur), Devipattan Circuit Temple (Balrampur) and Vatvashni Temple (Domariyagunj) Swadesh 9 Vedic- wellness Experience Naimisaran 2023-24 17.80 Darshan 2.0 ya 10. Azad Park and Dekho Prayagraj Prayagraj 2023-24 14.52 Trail Experince CBDD 11. Development of Cultural Mahoba 2024-25 24.98 Landscape at Mahoba (under Culture & Heritage Category)PRASHAD 12. Development of Varanasi – Phase – Varanasi 2015-16 18.73 I 13. Development of Mathura- Mathura- 2014-15 10.98 Vrindavan as Mega Tourist Circuit Vrindavan (Ph-II) 14. River Cruise Tourism in Ganga, Varanasi 2017-18 9.02 Varanasi 15. Construction of Tourist Facilitation Vrindavan 2014-15 9.36 Centre at Vrindavan 16. Development of Varanasi – Phase – Varanasi 2017-18 44.60 II 17. Development of Infrastructure Govardhan 2018-19 37.59 facilities at Govardhan SASCI 18 Development of Bateshwar in Bateshwar 2024-25 74.05 District-Agra 19 Integrated Buddhist Tourism Shrawasti 2024-25 80.24 Development in Shrawasti Bihar (Amount in ₹Crore) Scheme/ S. Name of the Project/ Experience Circuit/ Year of Amount Sub- No. Destination sanction sanctioned scheme Swadesh 1 Development of Vaishali- Arrah- Tirthankar 2016-17 33.96 Darshan Masad- Patna- Rajgir- Pawapuri- Circuit (SD) Champapuri 2. Development of Kanwaria Route: Spiritual 2016-17 44.76 Sultanganj – Dharmshala- Deoghar Circuit 3. Development of Buddhist circuit- Buddhist 2016-17 95.18 Construction of Convention Centre Circuit at Bodhgaya 4. Development of Bhitiharwa- Rural 2017-18 44.27 Chandrahia- Turkaulia Circuit 5. Development of Mandar Hill & Spiritual 2017-18 44.55 Ang Pradesh Circuit Swadesh 6. Development of the Buddhist Bodh Gaya 2024-25 165.44 Darshan 2.0 Meditation & Experience Centre, Bodh Gaya CBDD 7. Development of Sonepur Fair Site Saran Dist. 2024-25 24.29 (under Culture & Heritage (Sonepur category) Fair) PRASHAD 8. Development at Patna Sahib Patna Sahib 2015-16 29.62 9. Development of basic facilities at Gaya 2014-15 3.63 Vishnupad temple, Gaya, Bihar 10. Development of Ambika Bhawani Saran 2024-25 13.29 Temple, Saran SASCI 11. Development of Matsyagandha Saharsa 2024-25 97.61 Lake in Saharsa 12. Karamchat Eco-Tourism and Karamchat 2024-25 49.51 Adventure Hub in KaramchatUttar Pradesh and Bihar (Amount in ₹Crore) Scheme/ S. Name of the Project/ Experience Year of Amount Sub- No. sanction sanctioned scheme Swadesh 1 Development of Wayside Amenities in Uttar 2018-19 17.50 Darshan Pradesh and Bihar at Varanasi-Gaya; Kushinagar- (SD) Gaya- Kushinagar in collaboration with MoRTH *****