PRASAD Scheme-Things to know!

PRASAD stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme in India. The focus is on development and beautification of the identified pilgrimage destinations.

Under the plan scheme ‘PRASAD’, the Ministry of Tourism provides Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to State Governments/Union Territory Administrations, for various tourism projects subject to availability of funds, liquidation of pending utilization certificates and adherence to the scheme guidelines.

Under the PRASAD scheme thirteen sites have been identified for development, namely: Amritsar, Ajmer, Dwaraka, Mathura, Varanasi, Gaya, Puri, Amaravati, Kanchipuram, Vellankanni, Kedarnath, Kamakhya and Patna.

In pursuance to the Budget Announcements of 2014-15, the scheme was launched in January 2015. The projects sanctioned under the scheme are generally commissioned in 18 to 36 months.

Swadesh Darshan Scheme-13 Circuits to look forward to!

Swadesh Darshan Scheme was introduced by the Cabinet ministry and Ministry of tourism in India to develop theme based tourism in India. With the help of this scheme, the tourists and visitors would get an opportunity to visit the specific tourist circuit in a single tour. 

There are 13 tourist circuits that are proposed and started under the scheme. Under these 13 circuits, there are many cities and sites added for the visitors to get down there and enjoy their holiday. 

When we say a tourist circuit, it means that a bunch of connected places can be visited at one go! An example of this is the famous Golden triangle which covers majorly three places namely Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. So under a specific tourists' circuit, there will be few renowned places that can be covered by a tourist in a single tour.

The 13 circuits are named as:
1) Buddhist Circuit
2) Coastal Circuit
3) Krishna Circuit
4) Ramayana Circuit
5) Desert Circuit
6) Spiritual Circuit
7) North East Circuit
8) Himalyan Circuit
9) Heritage Circuit
10) Tribal Circuit
11) Rural Circuit
12) Eco Circuit
13) Wildlife Circuit

4 places to stop before you reach Shimla by road!

To beat the scorching sun of North India, families and couples are heading to cooler gateways to beat the heat. If you are planning a road trip this summer to Shimla, you can break it down to these four places and head to your final destination. The journey starts with Delhi and NCR regions:

1) Murthal ke Paranthe
Early morning drives are best to escape the heat and cover a good distance. It also means you got to fuel your body with nice breakfast. Murthal is an ideal breakfast place with lot of dhabas famous being Amrik Sukhdev Dhaba, Gulshan Dhaba etc. Just head onto any one of these and have Aloo ke Paranthe, Lassi and anything you feel like.

2) Chandigarh
The next on this route would be Chandigarh. The highway is just fantastic and you would reach in straight 3 hours barring any traffic! You could stay in Chandigarh overnight and drive to Shimla the next day or can reach Kasauli, stay and drive to Shimla the next day. Either ways, you can take your road ahead. In Chandigarh, you could visit Rock garden, Rose garden, Sukhna lake and enjoy mouth watering chaats there!

3) Halt at Parwanoo for Lunch:

The famous Timber trail resort Parwanoo is a must visit place for visitors. It is generally packed during breakfast and lunches for visitors going forward to Kasauli and Shimla.

4) Shimla

Shimla is approximately 80 Kms from Timber trail. Relax and head to scenic Shimla by evening.You could stay at Kasauli and drive to Shimla the other day or reach Shimla after halting at these spots.

Travelling the new way from Mumbai to Goa-Tejas Express!

Well! Well the famous trip of Mumbai to Goa has found a new way to travel! Its a TRAIN journey from Mumbai CST to Karmali, Goa. The icing on the cake is a journey by a 
semi-high speed full AC train fleet which reaches the destination in approximately 8 hours and 30 mins.

Some major highlights of this speedy train are:

• Celebrity chef menu, tea and coffee vending machines, WiFi.
• Bio-vacuum toilets, water level indicators, tap sensors and hand dryers.
• CCTV cameras, fire & smoke detection and suppression system.
• Energy-efficient LED lights and digital destination display boards.

Currently, the train is running on Monsoon schedule and that is why it will run only 3 days a week until October. After October it will again move back to normal schedule when it will run on 5 days.

So guys, what are we waiting for!! Get your tickets booked and chalo chalein GOAAAA!!!