Buddhist Circuit

Why in news?

• Minister of State for Tourism flags off the ‘Buddhist Circuit Train FAM Tour’ from New Delhi today to help tap potential of Buddhist tourism. The FAM tour will cover the visit of prominent Buddhist sites and conferences at Bodhgaya and Varanasi.

About Buddhist Circuit:

• The Buddhist circuit includes the most important pilgrimage destinations for Buddhist tourists.
• The development of the Buddhist Circuit is a part of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, which encompasses the development of theme-based tourist circuits.
• The Buddhist circuit as envisioned by the ministry of tourism includes Kapilavastu and Lumbini (Buddha’s birthplace) in Nepal, Shravasthi, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Rajgir, Vaishali, and Bodhgaya in India.
• India is home to seven of the eight Buddhist sites, yet receives less than 1% of the Buddhist pilgrims in the world.

Definition of Tourist Circuit:

• Tourist Circuit is defined as a route having at least three major tourist destinations which are distinct and apart.
• Circuits should have well defined entry and exit points. A tourist who enters should get motivated to visit most of the places identified in the circuit.
• A Circuit could be confined to a State or could be a regional circuit covering more than one State/Union Territory. These circuits may have one dominant theme and other sub-themes.

Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

• Swadesh Darshan is a Central Sector Scheme, was launched in 2014 -15 for integrated development of theme based tourist circuits in the country.
• 15 thematic circuits have been identified under the Swadesh Darshan for development.
• Under the scheme, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for infrastructure development of circuits.
• This scheme is envisioned to synergise with other schemes like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Skill India, Make in India etc. with the idea of positioning the tourism sector as a major engine for job creation, driving force for economic growth, building synergy with various sectors to enable tourism to realise its potential.

Funding pattern:

• The Scheme is 100% centrally funded and efforts are made to achieve convergence with other schemes of Central and State Governments and also to leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate Sector.
• Suitable Public Private Partnerships to be taken up for improved sustainability of the projects.

Other Theme Based Circuits under Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

• Coastal Circuit
• Desert Circuit
• Eco Circuit
• Heritage Circuit
• North-east Circuit
• Himalayan Circuit
• Sufi Circuit
• Krishna Circuit
• Ramayana Circuit
• Rural Circuit
• Spiritual Circuit
• Tirthankar Circuit
• Wildlife Circuit
• Tribal Circuit

PRELIMS QUESTION

Consider the following statement regarding Swadesh Darshan Scheme:

1. The scheme was completely funded by the central government of India

2. The scheme also aims to leverage the voluntary funding available for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Central Public Sector Undertakings and Corporate Sector.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer