India earned over Rs 3.22 lakh crore (Rs 3.22 trillion) worth of foreign exchange through tourism in the last three years, Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
"The Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEEs) through tourism in India during 2012, 2013 and 2014 were Rs 94,487 crore (Rs 944.87 billion), Rs 1,07,671 crore (Rs 1,076.71 billion) and Rs 1,20,083 crore (Rs 1,200.83 billion), respectively," Minister of State for Tourism Mahesh Sharma said during Question Hour.
Noting that all states were treated equally with regard to tourism projects, he said the government promoted India as a holistic destination.
To promote tourism, the Ministry provides assistance for large revenue generating projects and infrastructure development, among others.
In the last fiscal (2014-15), two schemes -- Swadesh Darshan and National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) -- were launched.
Under Swadesh Darshan, five circuits, including Buddhist circuit covering Bihar, have been identified. Besides, 12 cities, including Gaya in Bihar, have been identified as part of PRASAD.
"In the current financial year, the budget provision for these schemes is Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion) for Swadesh Darshan and Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) for PRASAD," Sharma said.
He said nearly 67 million jobs were generated through tourism during 2012-13. However, the information was not available for 2013-14 and 2014-15 period.
"As per the second Tourism Satellite Account of India -- 2009-10 and subsequent estimation, the employment generated through the tourism sector during 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 were 57.94 million, 62.04 million and 66.96 million, respectively," Sharma said.
