BHUBANESWAR: After Koraput, Debrigarh in Bargarh and Khinda in Sambalpur have been included in the Ministry of Tourism’s revamped Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (SD2.0) scheme which aims at developing destination tourism in the country.
Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Khinda Village will be developed under the scheme as sustainable and responsible destinations with a tourist and destination-centric approach. The ministry will sanction a special package for the two destinations. This was notified by the ministry last week. The move came after Union Minister for Education and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan wrote to Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy in this regard last year.
While Debrigarh is one of the most sought-after wildlife sanctuaries in Odisha, Khinda, 30 km away from Sambalpur is the birthplace of legendary freedom fighter Veer Surendra Sai. Khinda has been one of the most visited destinations for history enthusiasts who wish to learn about Sai’s life and contribution to the Indian Independence movement. Earlier, the ministry had sought two destinations from each state to be included under the revamped SD2.0 scheme. From Odisha, Koraput was chosen last year.
Swadesh Darshan was launched in 2014-15 by the Ministry of Tourism for the integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits. Under it, a coastal circuit project was provided to the state which included the development of Gopalpur, Barkul, Satapada and Tampara.