Adopt a heritage Scheme

In News

• Under the Centre’s ‘adopt a heritage’ scheme, Dalmia Bharat Group has developed the Red Fort and set up a museum as well as a sound and light show inside the 17th-century monument to narrate its history to visitors.

Adopt a Heritage Scheme 

• The ‘Adopt a Heritage: ApniDharohar, ApniPehchaan’ scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India.
• The scheme was launched on World Tourism Day, i.e., 27 September 2017. 
• The Adopt a Heritage Scheme allowed public and private sector enterprises to acquire top heritage areas of India and enhance tourism activities there.
• The sites/monuments are selected on the basis of tourist footfall and visibility and can be adopted by private and public sector companies and individuals — known as Monument Mitras— for an initial period of five years.
• As per the latest reports, Adopt a Heritage scheme has covered 106 tourist places with more than 600 Monument Mitras registered and 27 MoUs being signed.
• The Ministry of Tourism has the power of termination of MoU of Monument Mitras in case of noncompliance of guidelines and expression of interest (EoI), or any other reason of non-performance.

Objectives of the Scheme

• Development of basic tourism infrastructure in and around historic sites, monuments, natural sites, and tourist attractions.
• Enhancing tourism experience by developing facilities and amenities at historic sites, monuments, natural sites, and tourist attractions.
• Promote the cultural and heritage significance of the country and create awareness about them.

Advantages of Adopt a Heritage Scheme

• Corporate control of some monuments and heritage sites ensure that their maintenance and operations could be handled more professionally.
• Facilitate sustainable tourism infrastructure and ensure proper operation and maintenance within it.
• An agency with the best vision for the heritage site will be given an opportunity to associate pride with their CSR activities.
• The company would also get limited visibility on the premises and the Incredible India website.
• Create employment opportunities and support community livelihoods in and around historic, natural, and tourist destinations.

Challenges Involved

• It may undermine local communities and their relationships with historical sites.
• Retaining the ethical values of the monuments while doing the beautification and conservation.
  • There are some monuments selected for the scheme that are not protected by the ASI and are in States without Archaeology Directorates, in this case  businesses that sign agreements with the Union Ministry of Culture to adopt these monuments will be able to alter their historical character without much opposition.
• Monitoring of progress on various development initiatives undertaken by adopters.

Suggestions

• Conservation activities must be ensured to be carried out by professionals only.
• Industrial houses can support the meaningful conservation of heritage buildings, ex: CSR funds can be used to purchase new equipment that release fewer noxious gases that darken and corrode marble buildings and discharge fewer effluents into rivers.
• Monument mitras can help citizens understand why monuments matter by earmarking CSR funds for grants for researching, writing, and publishing high quality textbooks, and developing imaginative ideas.

Source:TH