Archeological Legacy

Rs 340.92 cr spent to preserve protected sites last fiscal till March 1

A sum of Rs 340.92 crore was spent on the conservation, preservation, and maintenance of centrally protected sites during 2022-23 till March 1, parliament was informed on Monday. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy shared the data in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha. He was asked to share details of the centrally protected heritage sites, temples, and monuments in the country, including in Rajasthan, and measures taken to beautify, maintain and develop them. Reddy, in his response, shared details of the amount allotted and spent on the conservation, preservation and maintenance of 3,696 centrally protected monuments and sites during the last three years and the current year. According to the data shared, Rs 435.39 crore was spent in 2019-20, Rs 260.83 crore in 2020-21, Rs 269.57 crore in 2021-22, Rs 340.92 crore in 2022-23 till March 1, 2023, Reddy also shared data on the number of adult tourists who visited protected ticketed monuments and the revenue generated from t

Withering legacies: A curious tale of India's 'missing' monuments

The CAG inspection could cover only 1,655 monuments on the protected list at the time

DDA begins its demolition drive in Mehrauli amid tight police security

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) started a demolition drive on Friday in the Mehrauli area amid police security. Locals claimed that the drive that started in the morning was demolishing two and three-storeyed buildings near Aulia Masjid at Andehria More along with shanties. The land on which the alleged encroachment was done belonged to multiple agencies including DDA, Waqf Board, and ASI, they claimed. "A demolition drive is being carried out by the Horticulture Department of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority. Police personnel have been deployed on the spot as preventive protection for DDA officials to carry out their duties and also to maintain law and order in the locality. Initially, the localities had staged a protest against the demolition but the situation was later brought under control," said a senior police official. According to the demolition notice, the land on which the demolition is being carried out is a part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and the .

Under 'monument mitra', UP govt to promote heritage sites during GIS23, G20

The Directorate of UP State Archaeology (DUPSA) has decided to promote its heritage scheme vigorously during the Global Investors Summit(GIS)-23 and G-20 events scheduled in the city later this month

137 firms convicted for sale of substandard pesticide in 5 years: Govt

More than 3,600 firms have been prosecuted for manufacturing, sale and illegal import of sub-standard pesticides in the last five years and 137 companies were convicted by courts after they were found to be guilty, the government said on Tuesday. "In last 5 years (2017-18 to 2021-22), Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine & Storage under the Ministry of Agriculture has analysed 3,40,479 pesticide samples, and 3,639 cases have been prosecuted against the firms who were found involved in the manufacture, sale and illegal import of sub-standard/low-quality pesticides, and in 137 cases the firms have been convicted by the Court after finding guilty," Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the minister said the chemical sector is de-licensed and de-regulated. The agriculture ministry has notified the Insecticide Act, 1968, wherein, there is no provision of spurious pesticides, however, under section 3k, the ...

Lack of cooperation by authorities affecting Bihar heritage sites: ASI

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has not been able to bring under its "complete care" at least 20 heritage sites in Bihar as authorities concerned are yet to clear encroachments and unauthorized constructions in and around these places, an official said. Goutami Bhattacharya, the superintending archaeologist of ASI (Patna circle), said that district authorities, despite reminders, "have not taken requisite measures" to facilitate the upkeep and maintenance of these centrally protected sites, including the ancestral home of the country's first president, Dr Rajendra Prasad. "We have filed several police complaints pertaining to illegal constructions in the restricted areas surrounding the protected monuments, but no action was taken. "This apathy on the part of the district administrations in removing encroachments and unauthorized constructions has come in the way of bringing these sites under the complete care of the ASI," she told PTI. Bhattacharya also said that she ...

Taj Mahal most ticketed ASI site for domestic tourists in FY22: Report

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO world heritage site, was among the 10 most popular centrally-protected ticketed monuments for domestic visitors in 2021-22, according to a new report released by the Union Ministry of Tourism. While the Mughal-era mausoleum ranked first, the Red Fort and the Qutub Minar -- both UNESCO-recognised sites in Delhi -- were the second and third most visited sites, respectively, for the period. The over 280-page report titled 'India Tourism Statistics 2022' was released on Tuesday by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on World Tourism Day at an event here. The report said due to restrictions related to COVID-19, "the number of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) in India during 2021 decreased to 1.52 million as compared to 2.74 million in 2020, registering a negative growth of 44.5 per cent". Sharing data about the footfall at various sites under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the report said the Taj Mahal was the most popular centrally-protected ticketed monum

Haryana CM Khattar asks ASI to expedite excavation at Rakhigarhi village

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday asked officials of the Archaeological Survey of India to expedite the excavation work at the protected area in Rakhigarhi, a Harappan civilisation site. During a meeting with the officials regarding the area's development as an archaeological site here, Khattar also directed them to prepare a master plan for all 11 mounds at the site. Batting for providing security to Rakhigarhi, the chief minister said all artifacts found during the excavation are the country's property, and hence, it is important to preserve them. Khattar also directed officials to prepare a list of artifacts found from the excavation site and also record ancient items that villagers possess. To rehabilitate those displaced due to the excavation, the chief minister told the officials to chalk out a long-term rehabilitation policy, which would also take into account their means of livelihood. He asked the panchayat and animal husbandry departments to jointly

Bhumi Pujan performed at Konark Sun Temple to clear sand from 'garbhagriha'

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) performed Bhumi Pujan (ground breaking ceremony) rituals to remove sand from the 'garbhagriha' (sanctum sanatorium) of the Sun temple in Odisha's Konark

Archaeological legacy can't be protected if people are not proud of it: PM

Modi suggested that in 100 cities which have historical sites, school syllabus can include information on local archaeological places so that students grow up learning about them