The criterion for selection of these cities is their rich heritage and cultural history.
To implement the PRASAD scheme a Mission Directorate has been set up in the Ministry of Tourism. The Budget provision of Rs.15.60 crore has been made in Revised Estimate (RE) 2014-15. For Development of basic facilities at Vishnupad Temple, Gaya in Bihar under this Scheme first installment of Rs.85.78 lakh has been released.
During 2015-16, Patna (Bihar) and in 2016-17, 12 more sites were added in the scheme for development namely Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath (Uttarakhand), Belur (West Bengal), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Guruvayur (Kerala), Hazratbal and Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Somnath (Gujarat), Srisailam and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra).
The Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme aimed at preserving and revitalizing the soul and unique character of the heritage cities in India, has been approved by the Ministry of Urban Development for the Twelve cities under the scheme in the first phase, namely; Amaravati(Andhra Pradesh); Gaya (Bihar); Dwarka (Gujarat), Badami(Karnataka); Puri (Odisha), Amritsar (Punjab); Ajmer(Rajasthan); Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu); Vellankani(Tamil Nadu); Warangal (Telangana); Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh); and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh).
For the HRIDAY scheme under the Ministry of Urban Development, an amount of Rs.453.90 crores has been allocated to the HRIDAY scheme for implementation and development works.