Heritage-led tourism can be a force-multiplier for inclusive growth. Critically evaluate using PRASHAD and HRIDAY.

Q. Heritage-led tourism can be a force-multiplier for inclusive growth. Critically evaluate using PRASHAD and HRIDAY. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Heritage-led tourism converts cultural and pilgrimage assets into livelihoods, and is the operational core of the "Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi" vision. PRASHAD (Ministry of Tourism) and HRIDAY (MoHUA) show genuine inclusive potential, but their scale and design limit the "force-multiplier" claim.

Merits: why it multiplies inclusive growth - Infrastructure at pilgrimage nodes: PRASHAD funds tourist facilitation, sanitation and last-mile connectivity at pre-identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations [1]; over 50 projects worth more than ₹1,400 crore were dedicated in a single tranche with Swadesh Darshan [2]. - Holistic city upgradation: HRIDAY (January 2015, 12 cities including Varanasi, Ajmer, Warangal, Velankanni) targeted physical, economic, social and institutional infrastructure, not monuments alone [3]. - Labour-intensive employment: guides, handicrafts, transport, homestays and food vending absorb low-skill and informal workers, including women — high employment elasticity per rupee invested. - Social inclusion through living heritage: UNESCO's inscription of Garba of Gujarat (2023, India's 15th ICH element) recognised a tradition cutting across socio-economic and religious divides [4]. - Soft power to footfall: hosting the 46th UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi (2024) [5] and India's rise to 44 World Heritage Sites [6] widen the international tourist base.

Limitations - Narrow footprint: HRIDAY covered only 12 cities with a modest outlay and was not extended; most protected monuments lie outside funded circuits. - Beautification bias: spending skews to civil works, while skilling, credit and artisan-market linkages — the actual inclusion channels — remain thin. - Carrying-capacity stress: crowding, waste and commodification of sacred spaces can erode the very heritage being monetised. - Fragmented delivery: Tourism, MoHUA, Culture, ASI and urban local bodies work in silos; land and clearance delays stall projects. - Leakage and seasonality: organised hospitality captures much of the surplus; pilgrimage income is festival-dependent.

Heritage tourism is therefore a conditional, not automatic, multiplier. Convergence under Swadesh Darshan 2.0, community-based tourism with local revenue-sharing, artisan skilling and site carrying-capacity plans can close the gap — making "Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi" a credible route to SDG 8 (decent work) and SDG 11.4 (safeguarding heritage).

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. PRASHAD Scheme — PIB, Ministry of Tourism — PRASHAD's mandate and coverage of pilgrimage/heritage destinations 2. PM dedicates 52 tourism sector projects worth more than ₹1,400 crore under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD — PIB — scale of sanctioned pilgrimage-tourism investment 3. Guidelines for HRIDAY: Heritage City Development & Augmentation Yojana — MoHUA — January 2015 launch, 12 cities, four infrastructure pillars 4. 'Garba of Gujarat' Declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO — PIB — 15th ICH element (2023); inclusivity across socio-economic and religious divides 5. 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO — PIB — India hosting the 46th WHC in New Delhi, July 2024 6. Maratha Military Landscapes of India inscribed as India's 44th UNESCO World Heritage entry — PIB — India's World Heritage Site count at 44