ASI launches 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0' programme; new app, portal for getting clearance for photography, video shoot

The ASI on Monday launched the 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0' programme seeking collaboration with corporate stakeholders in the preservation of monuments, and also a portal for obtaining permission for photography, filming and developmental projects at these sites.

Besides, a user-friendly mobile app, named 'Indian Heritage', which showcases the heritage monuments of India, was also unveiled.

Through this app, users can learn about protected monuments and can also upload photographs of unprotected monuments, said Union Minister of Tourism G Kishan Reddy, who attended the launch programme here, virtually.

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has 3,697 monuments under its ambit. These monuments not only exhibit the rich cultural heritage of India but also play a significant role in fostering economic growth, the culture ministry said.

Reddy urged all entities to come forward and help in better upkeep and rejuvenation of India's rich cultural heritage, in line with the vision of 'Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi'.

The 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0' programme seeks to foster collaboration with corporate stakeholders through which they can contribute to the preservation of these monuments for the next generations, he said.

The process for selection will be carried out after due diligence and discussions with various stakeholders and assessing the economic and developmental opportunities at each monument, officials said.

The programme is a revamped version of the earlier scheme launched in 2017 and clearly defines the amenities sought for different monuments as per the AMASR Act, of 1958.

It invites corporate stakeholders to enhance amenities at monuments by utilising their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, the culture ministry said.

The portal, www.asipermissionportal.gov.in, can be used for obtaining permission for photography, filming and developmental projects on monuments.

It will fast-track the process for obtaining various permissions and solve operational and logistical bottlenecks involved, officials said.

Union Minister of State for Culture Meenakashi Lekhi, Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan and Director General of ASI, K K Basa, were present on the occasion. Lekhi elaborated on the importance of cultural heritage in shaping the identity of a nation.

''Economy alone cannot lead to growth, cultural heritage too needs to be taken care of for achieving holistic growth of a country,'' she said.

Lekhi said that India's presidency of the G20 has been an opportunity to showcase the cultural heritage of the country.

For the mobile app 'Indian Heritage', in the first phase, ticketed monuments have been selected, while in the second phase, non-ticketed monuments will be taken up, she later told reporters.

The Union culture secretary said the government alone cannot showcase the centrally-protected monuments in all their glory, so the corporate sector can chip in with CSR funds and work with the ASI.

''In the second avatar of 'Adopt a Heritage', the work to be done by them is clearly specified, and these partners will know exactly what to do so that there are no quibbles down the line which have plagued the previous version,'' he said.

Manisha Saxena, director general of tourism in the Tourism Ministry, said the corporate partners should go beyond just ''adopting what many would call a 'khandar' (ruins) of our cultural heritage''.

''They can look into exploring adaptive reuse, and making such sites a cultural hub of sorts,'' she said.