World Heritage Week Did You Know You Can Adopt A Monument

As an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India, you can now adopt a monument Over 90 monuments have been listed on the &lsquoAdopt a Heritage&rsquo website. These monuments are available for adoption by both public and private sector companies as well as individuals.

As a part of this project the Monument Mitras, or the people who adopt the monument, have to provide for the basic and advanced amenities at the heritage site as well as look after the upkeep of the monument. Some of the basic amenities include public conveniences, ease of access and aesthetics and cleanliness. The provision of advanced facilities will depend on the footfall at the heritage site. Some of the advanced facilities will include cafeterias, campus illumination and facilitation of night visits to monument, light and sound shows with regular cultural shows, battery-operated vehicles and advanced surveillance systems among other facilities. The &lsquoAdopt a Heritage&rsquo project covers monuments and heritage sites from all over the country. Ranging from forts, tombs and caves to waterfalls and lakes, this initiative aims at developing these heritage sites, making them more tourist friendly and enhancing their cultural importance in the country. All revenues generated will be reinvested in the maintenance and enhancement of the monument. 

The process of becoming a Monument Mitra is simple. Register on the website and make a selection of the monument that you want to adopt. The prospective Mitras will then have to submit a proposal in the form of a document called the Expression of Interest (EoI). These proposals will be carefully scrutinized by the Oversight and Vision Committee. The shortlisted proposals will then proceed for vision bidding, where bidders will have to come up with vision developments for the monuments they are interested in adopting. Selected bidders will be called Monument Mitras and an MoU will be signed between the Monument Mitras, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India. 

Some of the monuments that are up for adoption include the Raja Rani temple in Odisha, the Akhnoor fort in Jammu and Kashmir, the Aurangabad Caves in Maharashtra, the Chapora fort in Goa and Megalithic Bridge in Meghalaya among others. 

You can register on the &lsquoAdopt a Heritage&rsquo website