Parliament Question: Initiatives to Boost Tourism in Nature Rich Areas of Maharashtra

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2693 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 INITIATIVES TO BOOST TOURISM IN NATURE RICH AREAS OF MAHARASHTRA 2693. SHRI TATKARE SUNIL DATTATREY: Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state: (a) the details of the initiatives taken by the Government to boost tourism in nature rich areas of Maharashtra such as Raigad and Ratnagiri districts areas; (b) the details of the steps taken to develop and conserve key natural and heritage assets in these districts; (c) the details of the steps taken to ensure sustainable tourism and provide alternate livelihood/training to local communities (homestays, guides, craft/food); (d) the current status of the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme in Maharashtra; and (e) whether the Government plans to develop any sites for tourism in Maharashtra, particularly in the Raigad and Ratnagiri areas, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (e): Development and promotion of tourism destinations in the country is primarily done by the concerned State Government (SG)/UT Administration (UTA). However, Ministry of Tourism under its various schemes such as Swadesh Darshan, 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 to theSGs/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. Various aspects of sustainability including environmental sustainability, socio-cultural sustainability and economic sustainability are embedded in the scheme ideation. 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. The details of the projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan, SD2.0, CBDD and PRASHAD schemes in the state of Maharashtra is annexed. Government of India in 2024-25 sanctioned the projects ‘INS-Guldar Underwater Museum, Artificial Reef, and submarine Tourism in Sindhudurg’ for Rs.46.91 Crore and ‘Development of RAM-KAL PATH in Nashik’ for Rs.99.14 Crore in Maharashtra under the initiative for ‘Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI)-Development of Iconic Tourist Centres to Global Scale’ and these projects are at implementation stage. The Ministry of Tourism has put in place the Scheme of "Capacity Building for Service Providers" (CBSP) to provide education, training and certification to the tourism & hospitality service providers across the country including the state of Maharashtra. Ministry of Tourism under the CBSP scheme has trained 135595 persons in the country including 7554 persons from the state of Maharashtra during the last three years from 2022- 23 to 2024-25.Further, the Ministry of Tourism during the financial year 2025-26 has launched ‘Development of Homestays in Tribal Areas’ as a sub-scheme of Swadesh Darshan under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JUGA) for development of homestays in tribal areas. The scheme envisages the development of homestays to tap the tourist potential of the tribal areas and to provide an alternate livelihood to the tribal communities by providing funding support up to ₹5 lakh for village community requirements, up to ₹5 lakh for the construction of two new rooms for each household, and up to ₹3 lakh for the renovation of existing rooms for each household. The scheme endeavours to promote community-based responsible tourism in tribal villages across the country by facilitating cultural exchange between tourists and indigenous communities, thereby offering an authentic tribal rural experience to visitors while ensuring socio-economic benefits to the local population. It also envisages capacity-building interventions, including skill development of local communities, promotion of sustainable and responsible tourism practices, and marketing support for tribal homestays. *****ANNEXURE STATEMENT IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2693 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 REGARDING INITIATIVES TO BOOST TOURISM IN NATURE RICH AREAS OF MAHARASHTRA RAISED BY SHRI TATKARE SUNIL DATTATREY Details of the projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan, SD2.0, CBDD and PRASHAD schemes in the state of Maharashtra Scheme Name of the project Year of Sanction Sanction Amount (Rs. In Crore) Swadesh Development of Sindhudurg 2015-16 19.06 Darshan Coastal Circuit - Sagareshwar, Tarkarli, Vijaydurg (Beach & Creek), Mitbhav (coastal circuit) Development of Waki- Adasa- 2018-19 45.47 Dhapewada- Paradsingha- Telankhandi- Girad (Spiritual Circuit) SD2.0 Shivshrusthi Theme Park 2024-25 76.22 CBDD Development of Ahmednagar Fort 2024-25 25.00 PRASHAD Development of Trimbakeshwar, 2017-18 45.41 Nashik *****