Revitalising India's Cultural Heritage

The PIB Backgrounder dated 14 August 2026 outlines the Government’s multi‑pronged effort to revitalise India’s cultural heritage. Key schemes include Adopt A Heritage 2.0 (30 MoUs signed by March 2026, 13.59 million visitors in FY 2024‑25), PRASHAD (54 projects sanctioned, 32 completed, costing ₹1,726.74 crore), Swadesh Darshan (15 thematic circuits, 76 projects sanctioned, ₹5,290.33 crore investment) and its 2.0 version (53 projects, ₹2,208.31 crore). The Archaeological Survey of India safeguards 3,686 protected monuments (₹374 crore allocated FY 2024‑25) and the NMMA has documented 1.84 lakh monuments and 17.20 lakh antiquities. HRIDAY covered 12 heritage cities, improving cleanliness, tourism and livelihoods. Repatriation efforts returned several sacred relics (e.g., Piprahwa Buddha relics in 2025) and 615 antiquities in the last five years. Digitisation initiatives such as Gyan Bharatam (₹482.85 crore outlay) and museum digitisation (3,75,707 artefacts digitised by July 2026) leverage AI, LiDAR and GIS to enhance access and conservation.