The Union Ministry of Tourism, the Departments of Tourism of the Governments of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)had entered into an agreement in October 2013 to cooperate in upgrading the quality of services and goods provided for tourists along the “Buddhist Circuit” in India. The project has been completed. The contributions for the project (Phase-I) were as follows:-
Total Cost: Rs. 450.00 lakh
| IFC – 40% of the project cost in Phase-I | Rs. 180.00 lakh |
| Ministry of Tourism – 50% of the project cost in Phase – I | Rs. 225.00 lakh |
| State Govts of Uttar Pradesh & Bihar – 5% each of the project cost in Phase – I | Rs. 45.00 lakh (Rs. 22.50 lakh each) |
This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge), and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma in a written reply to an unstarred question to the Lok Sabha.