Parliament Question: Enriching the Fort and Gorge Experience in Gandikota under SASCI

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5843 ANSWERED ON 30.03.2026 ENRICHING THE FORT AND GORGE EXPERIENCE IN GANDIKOTA UNDER SASCI 5843. SHRI Y S AVINASH REDDY: Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs. 77.91 crore for Enriching the Fort and Gorge Experience in Gandikota under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme; (b) if so, the details thereof along with the progress of its implementation; (c) whether the Government has any proposal to include the development of Vontimitta Kodandarama Swamy Temple, Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Swamy Temple and Veerabhadra Swamy Temple under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme; and (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (d): Government of India sanctioned an amount of Rs.77.91 Crore during financial year 2024-25 for undertaking the project ‘Enriching the Fort and Gorge Experience in Gandikota’ under the ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI)’ scheme. An amount of Rs.51.42 Crore had been released to the State Government of Andhra Pradesh. The projects sanctioned under SASCI scheme are implemented by concerned State Government. As per the information reported by the State Government, on the Program Management Information System, the project has achieved a physical progress of over 49 percent.While development of various tourism destinations is primarily done by the concerned State Governments (SGs)/UT Administrations (UTAs), the Ministry of Tourism under its various schemes related to destination development including Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) extends financial assistance to them to complement these efforts. Under PRASHAD scheme receiving proposals from State Governments/UT Administrations for financial assistance for tourism projects is a continuous process. The proposals received are examined with reference to the prescribed guidelines and financial assistance is extended for such projects subject to fulfilment of the stipulated conditions, continuation of scheme and availability of funds. *****