Context: 

Private firms and public sector units can adopt state-owned archaeological sites or monuments under the Monument Mitras scheme launched in February. 

• The government aims to adopt 500 protected sites by August 15 and another 500 sites soon after, a tenfold increase from the previous scheme (Adopt a Heritage). 
• The continuation of the new scheme is crucial for preserving India’s diverse cultural heritage.

The Perils Ahead:

• Threat to historical accuracy and preservation: It could jeopardize India’s historical understanding by allowing businesses to build and maintain museums instead of trained professionals. 
  • It also ignores guidelines created by organizations such as the ASI for safekeeping and engaging presentation of excavated objects.
• Redundant infrastructure development: Many monuments selected for the scheme already have tourist infrastructure, such as ticket offices and gift shops. The addition of new facilities by businesses may be redundant and wasteful.
• Corporate occupation of public land: It may reduce valuable public spaces around iconic monuments by allowing businesses to build their brands on prime land, potentially risking the discovery of antiquities and disregarding previous protections.
• Disruption of local communities: Guided tours by businesses that adopt a monument may threaten locals’ livelihoods who previously earned a living by sharing the site’s historical significance with visitors.
• Potential damage to historical sites: The illumination of monuments and the introduction of night tourism may lead to excessive wear and tear, and draw electricity away from rural homesteads and hospitals.
• Lack of protection for monuments not adopted: Monuments not adopted by Monument Mitras under the scheme may not receive adequate protection and may be turned over to the tourism department for conversion into hotels, as seen in Uttar Pradesh.
• Conflict between tourism and preservation interests: It raises concerns about balancing tourism and historical preservation, as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism are intertwined, and corporate/tourism interests may take precedence over preservation.

The Path to Choose:

• Education and Research: Use CSR funds to support grants for researching, writing, and publishing textbooks, as well as imaginative and effective ways of teaching history. 
  • Provide funds to school libraries for collecting archival materials.
• Supporting Humanities and Social Sciences: Corporates can institute fellowships, endow professorships, and support research training programs to give a new lease of life to humanities and social sciences departments that have been affected by the pandemic.
• Conservation of Heritage Buildings: Use CSR funds to purchase new equipment that reduces the release of noxious gases and effluents, which damage heritage buildings and water bodies.
• Supporting Restoration and Protection: Corporates can aid in protecting monuments from emergent threats, like climate change, by funding training for restoration skills and supporting interdisciplinary teams.
• Showcasing India’s Progress: Adopting modern preservation principles can demonstrate India’s progress in historical conservation and encourage more citizens to safeguard its diverse heritage

News Source: The Hindu