Parliament Question: Inclusion of Manimahesh Yatra of Chamba under PRASHAD Scheme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†3544 ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 INCLUSION OF MANIMAHESH YATRA OF CHAMBA UNDER PRASHAD SCHEME †3544. DR. RAJEEV BHARADWAJ:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to cover the famous Manimahesh Yatra of Chamba district and its associated sacred under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Driver (PRASHAD) scheme;

(b) if so, the details thereof; and

(c) whether the State Government has sent any proposal to the Union Government to cover the said Yatra under the PRASHAD scheme? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (c): The development of tourist destinations and tourism products is primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments

(SGs) and Union Territory (UT) Administrations. However, the Ministry of Tourism, under its various schemes such as Swadesh Darshan (SD), Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0), Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) and Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) supplements the efforts of the States and UTs by providing financial assistance for the development of tourism related infrastructure and experiences across the country including the State of Himachal Pradesh.

Proposals for seeking financial assistance for the development of the tourism infrastructure are formulated by the concerned State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The proposals received are examined in accordance with the prescribed guidelines,and financial assistance is provided subject to fulfilment of the stipulated conditions and availability of funds.

Currently, no proposal is under consideration in the Ministry of Tourism for inclusion of Manimahesh Yatra of Chamba district and its associated sites under the PRASHAD scheme. However, the Ministry under its Swadesh Darshan scheme has sanctioned a project namely ‘Development of Himalayan Circuit: Kiarighat, Shimla, Hatkoti, Manali, Kangra, Dharamshala, Bir, Palampur, Chamba’ for an amount of Rs. 68.34 Crore in the year 2016-2017.

*****