PRASHAD scheme — Pilgrimage Rejuvenation citizen guide (2026)

Quick answer. PRASHAD stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive — a centrally-sponsored scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, launched in January 2015. It funds the physical and civic infrastructure at India's identified pilgrimage and spiritual-heritage destinations — queue-management mandapams, public conveniences, ghat / kalyani upgradation, drinking water, illumination, parking, signage, sewage-treatment plants, pilgrim arrival centres, IT systems (CCTV, public-address, digital signage). Selection of destinations is state-led — State Governments propose pilgrimage / spiritual-heritage sites, the Central Sanctioning & Monitoring Committee (CSMC) evaluates, and the Ministry sanctions projects against availability of funds. The scheme operates alongside the Swadesh Darshan / SD 2.0 family but with a specific pilgrimage-and-heritage focus. Beneficiaries are pilgrims and devotees, but the visible spend lives at the temple-town level — better queue management at major shrines, walkable ghats, accessible toilets, drinking-water points, organised parking, and weather-protected darshan flow. For citizens, PRASHAD spending is publicly trackable under Section 4(1)(b)(xii) of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (proactive disclosure of subsidy / scheme programmes), and the CSMC sanction lists are available via the Ministry of Tourism portal.

A PRASHAD-sanctioned project usually combines several of the following components, calibrated to the destination's pilgrim profile and seasonality:

1. Queue Management Mandapam — covered, ventilated holding area for darshan queues; seating + drinking water + public-address.
2. Pilgrim Arrival Centre — single-window facility at the temple precinct entry: information desk, lockers, footwear stand, first-aid station.
3. Public Conveniences — separate men / women / persons-with-disabilities / family toilets with running water and regular cleaning.
4. Pavement + walkway upgradation — anti-skid stone, accessibility ramps, lighting, multilingual signage.
5. Ghat / Kalyani upgradation — restoration of the temple tank / step-well or river-bank ghat; safety bollards, lighting.
6. Sewage-Treatment Plant (STP) — sized for peak-festival days, not just average days.
7. Anna Dasoha hall — pilgrim-meal / prasad facility where the temple tradition includes free / subsidised food.
8. Cultural & Recreation Centre — small auditorium for evening cultural programmes.
9. Illumination — façade + perimeter + safety LED lighting.
10. Compound wall + fencing — temple precinct + larger development zone.
11. Parking plaza — separated bus / car / two-wheeler zones with access roads.
12. IT systems — CCTV at queue points + entrances + parking; public-address; people-counter; digital signage.
13. First-aid + ambulance — small stationed health post for festival-day emergencies.

The mix per project depends on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared by the State and approved by the CSMC.

1. State Government identifies a pilgrimage / spiritual-heritage destination and prepares a State Perspective Plan entry.
2. DPR preparation by State Tourism Development Corporation or empanelled consultant.
3. State submits to the Ministry of Tourism for CSMC review.
4. CSMC evaluates against scheme guidelines — pilgrim footfall, civic-infrastructure gap, local readiness, fund availability.
5. Sanction order issues, with cost build-up (component-wise), GST + consultancy + contingency.
6. State Tourism Development Corporation executes via tender.
7. Quarterly progress reports to the Ministry. Disbursement is milestone-linked.
8. Operation & Maintenance post-completion is the State Government's responsibility.

Each step generates documents that are public records — sanction order, DPR cost build-up, tender, payment milestones, completion certificate, O&M plan.

The visible difference at a PRASHAD-completed site is concrete:

• Queue time falls because the holding area is shaded, ventilated, organised by token.
• Toilet availability + cleanliness rises, especially on peak days.
• Drinking-water points at predictable intervals along the queue.
• Wayfinding signage that doesn't assume the pilgrim already knows the precinct.
• Better night safety because illumination + CCTV + helpline-display are part of the standard component menu.
• Faster emergency response because the first-aid post + ambulance siting + 112 helpline pre-population are part of the design.
• Persons-with-disabilities access through ramps, accessible toilets, reserved darshan windows in many sanctioned projects.

For citizens whose families undertake annual or once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimages, the infrastructure layer is often the difference between an exhausting visit and a meaningful one.

A common confusion is that all three are “the same Ministry of Tourism cluster.” They are related but distinct.

A single town may host more than one scheme's project — the Detailed Project Reports for each are independent.

Section 4(1)(b)(xii) of the RTI Act, 2005 mandates proactive disclosure of “the manner of execution of subsidy programmes including the amounts allocated and the details of beneficiaries of such programmes.” A PRASHAD-sanctioned project at a temple in your district falls squarely under this.

• Sanction order with date and cost build-up
• DPR as approved by the CSMC, with the component-wise costs
• Quarterly progress reports filed to the Ministry
• Disbursement schedule by milestone

• Tender documents + technical evaluation minutes
• Awarded contractor details
• Site-specific completion certificates for each component
• O&M plan for the post-completion period

• Daily pilgrim footfall (where measured)
• Complaint register at the pilgrim arrival centre
• Sanitation maintenance contract + frequency
• Festival-day arrangements for the next 12 months

If the project is sanctioned but visibly stalled, file an RTI to the Ministry of Tourism PIO asking for the last quarterly progress report + CSMC observations on delay + revised timeline. Most projects move once a written record of citizen-awareness exists.

→ Use the AI RTI Drafter — paste the question in plain language, get a complete §6(1) RTI letter in 60 seconds.

January 2015, by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.

Yes — distinct guidelines, distinct project pipelines, distinct sanction lists. Both are with the Ministry of Tourism but they do not substitute for each other.

State Governments propose; the CSMC of the Ministry of Tourism evaluates and sanctions.

No. PRASHAD funds infrastructure around existing pilgrimage sites — queues, conveniences, walkways, ghats, lighting, parking. Construction of religious structures is outside the scheme.

Yes. PRASHAD covers pilgrimage and spiritual-heritage destinations across faith traditions — selection is by State proposal + CSMC review, not by faith.

State Government / State Tourism Development Corporation / temple board — depending on the local arrangement. The O&M plan is part of the sanction conditions.

Yes. Section 4(1)(b)(xii) and Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005 apply. Sanction orders, DPRs, tender records, progress reports, completion certificates are all disclosable. Refusal under §8(1)(d) for tender records routinely fails on appeal — Eastern Coalfields Ltd. v. WBIC (Calcutta HC 2015) and RBI v. Jayantilal N. Mistry (2016) 5 SCC 136.

PRASHAD funds physical infrastructure at pilgrimage sites. Tirth Yatra subsidy schemes (varies by state) subsidise individual citizens' travel cost. The two operate at different layers.

For sites that are also ASI-protected monuments, PRASHAD work is undertaken in coordination with ASI under heritage-protection norms. Excavation, façade alteration, or any work touching the protected structure goes through ASI clearance.

The State Tourism Department prepares a proposal under the scheme guidelines, files it with the Ministry of Tourism, and pursues CSMC review.

Engage your State Tourism Department through your MLA / MP / district-level tourism committee. RTI is useful to surface what proposals the State has filed in the last 12 months and which remain pending.

1. [ ] Identify whether your local temple / pilgrimage site has a PRASHAD-sanctioned project
2. [ ] If yes, request the sanction order + DPR + latest progress report via RTI
3. [ ] If the project is stalled, file a follow-up RTI surfacing the named bottleneck
4. [ ] If the project is complete but quality is poor, file a complaint with the State Tourism Development Corporation
5. [ ] If the local temple should be on the list but isn't, engage State Tourism Department via your MP / MLA + an RTI on State's proposal pipeline

• Swadesh Darshan India 2026 — pillar guide
• UDAN scheme — citizen guide
• Government schemes hub
• Sample RTI applications
• Tender RTI sample
• Toll plaza RTI — concession agreement
• First Appeal under §19(1) — full procedure
• RTI grounds for rejection
• Third-party information — Section 11

• Ministry of Tourism, Government of India — PRASHAD Scheme Guidelines (publicly published, January 2015 with subsequent amendments)
• Ministry of Tourism — Annual reports on PRASHAD outlay + sanctioned projects
• The Right to Information Act, 2005 — §§4(1)(b)(xii), 4(1)(d), 6(1), 6(3), 7(1), 8(1), 10, 19(1)
• Bhagat Singh v. Chief Information Commissioner, Delhi HC W.P.(C) 3114/2007
• Reserve Bank of India v. Jayantilal N. Mistry, (2016) 5 SCC 136
• Eastern Coalfields Ltd. v. WBIC, Calcutta HC 2015
• Press Information Bureau (PIB) releases on PRASHAD project sanctions

{REVIEWED}

Last reviewed: 4 May 2026 — RTI Wiki editorial team. This article is a citizen-information piece based on publicly published scheme guidelines. State / project / cost-specific data has been kept out of scope to maintain an informational, citizen-utility focus.