‘Overhaul India’s built heritage’

A NITI Aayog working group under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kant has presented an action plan for improving management of heritage monuments of the country. In the recommendations, key action points for separate sections have been outlined.

The NITI Aayog report is an effort to understand current challenges for heritage management in India and to provide a future roadmap along with an appropriate branding of India’s invaluable archaeological and built heritage. The implementation strategy broadly covers following key points specified for PMO Working Committee mandate: Restructuring of ASI; creating a national database; connecting with people; defining byelaws for prohibited and regulated areas around monuments; support to state government and other organisations such as temple trust, Waqf boards and others; heritage as a tool for development and employment generation, and capacity building for heritage management at all levels in partnership with national and international institutions.

vDevelop site museums: Budget 2020-21 has proposed five archaeological sites to be developed as iconic sites with on-site museums. These should be completed in the next three years. ASI should finalise world-class projects for two site museums - Hampi and Sarnath - within the next three months. A model site museum should also be set up at Ahichchhatra archaeological site in UP.

vWorld Heritage: A World Heritage Project Management Unit (PMU) involving World Heritage experts, ASI and other stakeholders needs to be set up to ensure following specific actions for World Heritage in India. There is also a need to strengthen conservation and management of 38 World Heritage Sites.

vInstitutional collaboration

and skill development: Create an Indian Institute of Culture (IIC) and establish institutional collaborations with various national and international institutions and universities for training and capacity building.

vHunar se Rozgaar: The programme is under MOT and

the Skill Development ministry. Attempts should be made to engage local persons and craftspeople in their home states

and, also to support MNREGA Schemes for such employment. Considering the extended framework and mandate of ASI, the working group feels that the nomenclature should reflect more than ‘Archaeological Survey of India’ in its name. A number of new names have been presented but the most preferred one is ASHMI (Archaeological Survey and Heritage Management of India) with the acronym ‘ASHMI’.

Thematic heritage circuits

MOT’s initiative of Heritage Circuits does not cover the expanse of heritage variations that exist in India. So, ASI needs to consider packaging the iconic centrally protected sites in specialised circuits that link thematically in specific historic-cultural groups attracting not only the general tourist but also specialised academic tours, international visitors who selectively visit connected world heritage sites, historic architectural tours. A National Archaeological Database is also to be made.