The General Budget 2014-15 proposes to create 5 tourist circuits around specific themes for which a sum of ₹ 500 crore has been set aside in the current financial year. In his maiden Budget Speech in the Parliament here today, the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said that India’s rich cultural, historical, religious and natural heritage provides a huge potential for the development of tourism and job creation as an industry. Sarnath-Gaya-Varanasi Buddhist circuit would also be developed with world class tourist amenities to attract tourists from all over the world, he added. The Finance Minister also announced the launching of National Heritage city Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) for conserving and preserving the heritage characters of these cities. The programme will be launched in the cities such as Mathura, Amritsar, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Vellankani, and Ajmer with a provision of ₹ 200 crore in the current Budget. The project will work through a partnership of Government, Academic Institutions and local community combining affordable technologies.

A National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) with an outlay of ₹ 100 crore is also proposed to be launched in this financial year. The Finance Minister has set aside a sum of ₹ 100 crore for the preservation of archeological sites. Highlighting the importance of Goa emerging as a major international convention centre, the Finance Minister said that there is a need to develop world class convention facilities in the state. Government of India will fully support this initiative to develop the facilities in PPP mode through the VGF scheme, the Minister added.

Tourism development funding to create themed tourist circuits and launch heritage and pilgrimage conservation programmes. Allocation for development of themed tourist circuits is proposed to promote tourism-led economic activity and job creation by developing five distinct tourist circuits with targeted infrastructure and amenities. Announced initiatives include HRIDAY for urban heritage conservation through government-academic-community partnerships, PRASAD for pilgrimage infrastructure upgrades, preservation funding for archaeological sites, and support for convention facility development via Public-Private Partnership using viability gap funding.