There are total of 3686 centrally protected monuments under the care and maintenance of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The conservation work of these protected monuments is taken up by ASI as per the needs and requirement of the monument, after the approval of Annual Conservation Plan and all are in good state of preservation.

Also, ASI preserves and showcases antiquities and artefacts recovered from archaeological excavations and protected monuments through 52 archaeological site museums across the country. These collections are systematically documented in museum accession registers as well as digitally, ensuring their preservation, promotion and proper documentation.

Further, the Govt. of India has established the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) in 2007 to prepare two national registers on Monuments (Built Heritage and Sites) and Antiquities across the country.  

To protect, promote and preserve various forms of folk art and culture throughout the country, the Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur. These ZCCs organize various cultural activities and programmes on a regular basis all over India for which they engage folk/ tribal artists to showcase their talents at national level. These artists are paid honorarium, TA/DA, local transportation, boarding & lodging etc. to enable them to earn their livelihood.

The declaration of monuments and areas (sites) of national importance is done as per the section 4 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958. The proposals, accompanied with supporting documents in the designated proforma, are evaluated by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Upon recommendation of the TEC, Central Government notifies, seeking views of the public. Thereafter, a final notification is issued declaring the monument(s) to be of national importance.

Ministry of Culture has been using a software named “JATAN” for digitization of museum’s collections like coin, painting, manuscript, philately, decorative art, archaeology, bead, anthropology, arms and armour, terracotta, porcelain, central asian antiquity, numismatics, epigraphy manuscripts and artefacts. Till date 8 renowned National Level Museums and 2 ASI Museums have been digitized through JATAN Software. The above-mentioned project of digital repository of the collections of these Museums in technical collaboration with C-DAC, Pune along with a unified web portal at www.museumsofindia.gov.in on which the details of the collections of these museums along with their image are available. Digitized Articles till date can be viewed by accessing the following link https://museumsofindia.gov.in/repository

Also, NMMA is conducting workshops in various regions to raise awareness and provide training programs to universities, colleges, NGO’s and other interested organisations.

Ministry of Culture, Government of India through its Zonal Cultural Centres (autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture), organizes Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs) to celebrate the spirit of tradition, culture, heritage and the rich diversity of our incredible country. The broader objective of this Mahotsav is to preserve, promote and popularize India's cultural heritage, reconnect the younger generation with our traditions and showcase to the nation and the world our soft power through unity in diversity. Since 2015, Ministry has organized 14 RSMs and 4 Zonal Level RSMs through its seven ZCCs. A total of 12543 artists have participated in these RSMs/ Zonal RSMs. These artists were paid honorarium, TA/DA, local transportation, boarding & lodging etc. to enable them to earn their livelihood.

Also, NMMA has documented and published data for 11,406 Built Heritage & Sites and 12,47,668 Antiquities. The data has been published at the NMMA website: http://nmma.nic.in.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today

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M Annadurai

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