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The ASI has been allocated ₹1,235.78 crore for 2026-27, constituting 36.17% of the Ministry’s full allocation, the study said
A parliamentary sheet has recommended to the Culture Ministry to undertake a “comprehensive review” of attraction standards and visitant facilities astatine each UNESCO World Heritage Sites successful India successful coordination with the ASI and hole a time-bound revamp program to guarantee that the absorption of these sites is aligned with their planetary recognition.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee connected Transport, Tourism and Culture has besides recommended to the Ministry that it should hole a “five-year UNESCO information strategy”, including a pipeline of “at slightest 10 imaginable nominations”, a structured engagement program with spouse countries for multinational nominations and a “dedicated unit and budgetary provision” for preparing information dossiers.
The Culture Ministry whitethorn contiguous this strategy “within 1 year”, it said.
The report, ‘Demands for Grants (2026-27) of Ministry of Culture, of the panel, headed by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, was presented successful Parliament connected Wednesday (March 25, 2026).
The Committee besides noted that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) maintains 3,685 centrally protected monuments done 38 circles.
The ASI has been allocated ₹1,235.78 crore for 2026-27, constituting 36.17% of the Ministry’s full allocation, the study said.
The Committee said it has noted from the fiscal information that ASI conservation expenditure has maintained utilisation rates supra 99%, implicit the play 2021-22 to 2024-25.
“In 2025-26, the utilisation complaint stood astatine 67.17% (₹232.52 crore against ₹346.15 crore, up to November 21, 2025),” it said.
Underlining sustained precocious utilisation rates successful ASI conservation expenditure implicit 2021-22 to 2024-25, the sheet recommended that the Ministry should guarantee that the utilisation complaint for 2025-26 is brought to the level of erstwhile years by the adjacent of the fiscal year.
The Ministry whitethorn furnish the last utilisation figures for 2025-26 wrong 90 days of the adjacent of the fiscal year, it added.
The Committee emphasised that India’s increasing portfolio of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, present ranking sixth globally, with 44 inscribed properties, carries with it a “corresponding obligation” nether the UNESCO Operational Guidelines to support standards of conservation, mentation and visitant absorption commensurate with the outstanding cosmopolitan worth of these sites.
These 44 sites see 36 successful the taste category, 7 successful the earthy class portion 1 successful the mixed class nether the custody of assorted authorities.
UNESCO sites successful India see the ruins of past Nalanda University successful Nalanda territory and Mahabodhi Temple Complex astatine Bodh Gaya successful Bihar, Maratha Military Landscapes of India successful Maharashtra (inscribed successful 2025), Moidams-the Mount-Burial strategy of the Ahom Dynasty successful Assam (inscribed successful 2024), Rani ki Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) astatine Patan successful Gujarat, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) successful Mumbai, Jantar Mantar successful Jaipur and the Historic City of Ahmedabad successful Gujarat.
With the inscription of the Maratha Military Landscapes, India’s planetary visibility successful the practice domain has been further enhanced, the sheet said.
The Committee has recommended that the Ministry, successful coordination with the ASI, undertake a “comprehensive reappraisal of attraction standards and visitant facilities astatine each World Heritage Sites and hole a time-bound upgradation program to guarantee that the condition, interpretation, infrastructure and absorption of these sites are aligned with their planetary recognition”.
The sheet said it expects to beryllium apprised of the enactment taken successful this regard.
The Ministry besides informed it that the improvement of 15 important archaeological sites has been announced, including Rakhigarhi, Dholavira, Hastinapura, Adichanallur and Shivsagar, with visitant infrastructure and mentation centres.
It recommended that the Ministry furnish a elaborate project-wise presumption study for each 15 archaeological tract improvement projects, including carnal and fiscal progress, timelines for completion, and provisions for ongoing conservation and visitant absorption wrong 90 days.
The Ministry further informed the Committee that successful the intangible civilization practice domain, nominations successful advancement see Chhath Mahaparv arsenic a multinational nomination, shadiness puppetry and the Valmiki Ramayana manuscript.
The sheet recommended that the Ministry hole a five-year UNESCO information strategy, including a pipeline of astatine slightest 10 imaginable nominations; a structured engagement program with spouse countries for multinational nominations; and a dedicated unit and budgetary proviso for preparing information dossiers.
India has nominated ‘Jingkieng Jri/ Lyu Charai Cultural Landscape’, the Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya that signify harmony betwixt humans and nature, for inscription into the UNESCO World Heritage List for the 2026-27 cycle, the authorities informed Parliament connected Monday (March 23).
In a written effect to a query successful the Lok Sabha, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had besides said the state has sent a connection to the World Heritage Centre, seeking a UNESCO tag for the ‘Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath’ successful Uttar Pradesh for the 2025-26 cycle.
The ASI undertakes conservation and attraction of its monuments and sites, including 27 World Heritage properties, on with the proviso of amenities for tourists specified arsenic drinking water, toilet blocks, pathways and landscaping, helium said.
