Adopt A Heritage Scheme: Objectives, Benefits And Issues, Indian Heritage Sites

With Adopt a heritage scheme 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. Businesses that enter such agreements are going to be known as Monument Mitras.

What Is Adopt A Heritage Scheme?

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Under the scheme 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.
• Development of these tourist sites calls for providing and maintaining basic amenities, including drinking water, ease of access for the differently abled and senior citizens, standardised signage, cleanliness, public conveniences, etc.
• Businesses may use their Corporate Social Responsibility funds at select sites to construct and maintain ticket offices, restaurants, museums, interpretation centers, toilets, and walkways.
• They may illuminate monuments, set up guided tours, hold cultural programmes, and fix equipment for light and sound show
• The project Adopt a Heritage: ‘Apni Dharohar Apni Pehchaan’ was launched by the Hon’ble President of India on 27th September 2017 on the occasion of World Tourism Day.

Objectives of Adopt A Heritage Scheme

Issues With Adopt A Heritage Scheme

• The current plan also sidelines the mandate of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and abandons The Sarnath Initiative
• The guidelines are devised by the ASI, the Getty Trust, U.S., the British Museum, and National Culture Fund to safe keep excavated objects and present them to visitors in an engaging manner.
• Many monuments selected for the scheme already have tourist infrastructure.
• Businesses will be able occupy prime public land and build their own brands but these grounds are valuable spaces. If excavations are carried out in them, then they may lead to the discovery of antiquities that can offer clues into the historical context of monuments.
• it will undermine local communities and their relationships with historical sites.
• Guided tours led by employees of large businesses may impact the livelihoods of those who have lived near the site and made a living out of it
• The potential of big businesses to underwrite a monument’s illumination is also troubling. It will affect the wear and tear of the monument
• Businesses that sign agreements with the Union Ministry of Culture to adopt the monuments with no oversight will be able to alter their historical character without much opposition.

What might Corporate India instead do to look after the heritage?

Indian Heritage Sites

• India has been blessed with a rich history and natural diversity, which is exemplified by its 42 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 
• These include 34 Cultural sites, 7 Natural sites and 2 mixed sites recognised for their outstanding universal value to humanity.
• Spanning the length and breadth of the country, these sites represent India’s grand and varied cultural traditions as well as its incredible biodiversity and landscapes.
• From ancient monuments to pristine forests, India’s World Heritage Sites encapsulate the essence of incredible India.
• Sites like the Taj Mahal, Ajanta Caves, Western Ghats and Sundarbans National Park are inscribed for their universal value. Understanding and preserving these treasures is crucial for safeguarding India’s heritage for future generations.
• A World Heritage site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
• World Heritage sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance.
• The sites are judged to contain “cultural and natural heritage around the world considered being of outstanding value to humanity.”

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