Adopt a Heritage Scheme

Adopt a Heritage Scheme

Why in news?

Private firms, companies, and public sector units can enter into agreements with the Union Ministry of Culture to adopt and maintain State-owned archaeological sites or monuments.

What is Adopt a Heritage Scheme about?

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultureand the Archaeological Survey of India.
• The government invites entities, including public sector companies, private sector firms as well as individuals, to develop selected monuments and heritage and tourist sites across India.
• It includes providing and maintaining basic amenities, including drinking water, ease of access for the differently abled and senior citizens.
• The sites/monument for this scheme will be selected on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility.
• Businesses that enter such agreements are going to be known as Monument Mitras.
• The Monument Mitras are selected by the ‘oversight and vision committee,’ co-chaired by the Tourism Secretary and the Culture Secretary.
• The corporate sector is expected to use Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for the upkeep of the site.
• The Monument Mitras, in turn, will get limited visibility on the site premises and on the Incredible India website.
• The oversight committee also has the power to terminate a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in case of non-compliance or non-performance.

What are the issues with the scheme?

• Lack of experience – Permitting a watch company without expertise in bridge engineering to maintain a colonial era bridge in Morbi, Gujarat, possibly contributed to heart-wrenching tragedy.
• Sarnath initiative – The current plan also side lines the mandate of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and abandons the Sarnath Initiative.

• Redundancy – Monuments selected, such as, the stupas at Sanchi, the Brihadeshwar temple in Thanjavur, and Akbar’s palace city at Fatehpur Sikri, already have tourist infrastructure.
• Livelihood of local communities – The scheme undermines the local communities and their relationships with historical sites.
• Guided tours led by employees of large businesses, may endanger livelihoods of those who have lived near the site and made a living by regaling visitors with stories of its colourful past.
• Night tourism – Keeping these spots open from dawn to dusk has limited footfall and thus preserved them from excessive wear and tear.
• Monuments not adopted by Monument Mitras – The Uttar Pradesh government has started turning over such monuments to the Tourism Department to convert them into hotels. They include Chunar Fort, a citadel overlooking Barwasagar Lake, and several residences built by Awadh’s Nawabs.
• Corporate interest over historical preservation – The move by U.P government confirms that the scheme is continuing to place reckless tourism and corporate interests over historical preservation.

How can we overcome the challenges?

• Schools – Traders and shopkeepers can give funds to school libraries for collecting archival materials including books, maps, and old photographs relevant to monuments.
• Universities – Corporates can give them a new lease of life to humanities and social sciences departments by instituting fellowships, endowing professorships, and supporting research training programmes.
• Building infrastructure – The CSR funds can be used to purchase new equipment that protect the monuments from hazards created by pollution.
• Expertise of the private sector – The private sector’s resources and expertise may also help the ASI and State Archaeology Directorates to secure monuments from dams, mining projects, defacement, and looting.