Editorial Analysis – A thumbs down for the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme

Source – TH

• Prelims: Indian civilisation, Adopt a Heritage’ scheme, CSR, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) etc
• Mains GS Paper I: salient aspects of Art forms, literature and architecture, Salient features of the Indian society, Diversity of India etc

Key Points

Private firms, companies, and public sector units have the option to form agreements with the Union Ministry of Culture to adopt and maintain state-owned archaeological sites or monuments.

About the Issue

Adopt a Heritage’ scheme

• Entities that enter into these agreements will be referred to as Monument Mitras.
• The central government aims to adopt 500 protected sites by August 15, and another 500 shortly thereafter.
• The ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme selects monuments from the ASI lists, which are protected by the central agency.
• Other monuments chosen for the scheme are protected by the Archaeology Directorate of the state where they are located.
• Companies are permitted to utilize their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds at designated sites to construct and maintain ticket offices, restaurants, museums, interpretation centers, toilets, and walkways.
• They may also install lighting systems at monuments, provide guided tours, organize cultural events, and repair equipment required for light and sound shows.

Issues with adopting the scheme

• A watch company was responsible for maintaining a bridge in Gujarat, resulting in a tragedy, despite lacking expertise in bridge engineering.
• The current plan ignores the mandate of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and abandons The Sarnath Initiative, which aims to safely keep excavated objects and present them in an engaging manner.
• Many monuments selected for the scheme already have tourist infrastructure, such as Sanchi stupas, Brihadeshwar temple in Thanjavur, and Akbar’s palace city at Fatehpur Sikri.
• Businesses may occupy prime public land and build their brands, leading to a potential conflict of interest with historical preservation.
• New construction in these areas has been prohibited until now, and allowing businesses to alter the historical character of these sites could undermine local communities’ relationships with them.
• Guided tours by businesses may endanger the livelihoods of local people who have been telling visitors about the site’s history and culture.
• Night tourism may divert electricity from rural homesteads and hospitals and lead to excessive wear and tear on the monuments.
• Some monuments selected for the scheme are not protected by ASI or Archaeology Directorates, which may allow businesses to change their historical character without much opposition.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has started converting some monuments into hotels, including Chunar Fort and residences built by Awadh’s Nawabs.
• The scheme continues to prioritize corporate interests and reckless tourism over historical preservation, despite being under the Ministry of Culture instead of the Ministry of Tourism.

What should Corporate India do instead to look after the nation’s built heritage?

• Businesses can contribute to public understanding of the importance of monuments through various means, such as:
  • Using CSR funds to develop and distribute high-quality textbooks that incorporate information about local monuments and their historical context
  • Supporting school libraries in collecting relevant archival materials, including books, maps, and old photographs
  • Following the example of individuals like Sudha Murthy and N.R. Narayana Murthy by giving gifts to organizations engaged in historical research and preservation
• In light of the hiring freeze at many universities’ humanities and social sciences departments, corporates can support these fields by:
  • Instituting fellowships
  • Endowing professorships
  • Supporting research training programs
• Industrial houses can help conserve heritage buildings by:
  • Using CSR funds to purchase equipment that releases fewer noxious gases and discharges fewer effluents into rivers, thus preserving the quality of building materials and nearby ecosystems.

Way Forward

• The nation’s precious pluralistic heritage is at the threshold of obliteration unless the ‘revamped’ scheme is suspended.
• Tata Sons, ONGC, and other companies have regularly contributed funds to organizations training individuals in much-needed restoration skills and creating jobs for them in the past, which need to be continued.
• Corporations need to support interdisciplinary teams at the Development and Research Organisation for Nature, Arts, and Heritage (DRONAH) Foundation and the Centre for Advancement of Traditional Building Technology and Skills to protect monuments from emergent threats such as climate change.
• Private sector resources and expertise may also help the ASI and State Archaeology Directorates to secure monuments from dams, mining projects, defacement, and looting.
• India’s progress in diverse fields is being projected at G-20 events across the nation, and by embracing forward-thinking principles of historical preservation, businesses, government agencies, and civil society groups can showcase India’s genuine progress in this arena.

Mains PYQ

Discuss the main contributions of Gupta period and Chola period to Indian heritage and culture.(UPSC 2022) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)

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