Polity

Article 49 states that it shall be the obligation of the State to protect every monument or place or object of artistic or historic interests. What is the significance of this and how far is the government succesful in it?

Answer

Importance of monuments

• A series of structures or areas deemed to be of national importance are termed as national monuments.
• Monuments have always been the illustration of wealth and power of a country.
• Monuments are closely associated with the identity of the nation.
• Glimpse of India's past can be understood through the monuments.

Need for preservation of monuments

• Not only possession also Preservation should be equally prioritised.
• Industries and factories must be shifted away from the site of monuments to reduce the effect of smoke.
• There should be proper disposal of garbage, and proper drainage system for waste water as well as industrial effluents.

• Indian government is progressive in preserving the monuments, here are few recent efforts taken by the government

Retrieval of Stole antiquities

• Officials and representatives of the Indian government are taking various initiatives to trace and retrieve the stolen historic and artistic artefacts from India.

Project Mausam

• Initiative of Ministry of culture which aims to explore the multifaceted Indian Ocean world collating archaeological and historical research to document the diversity of cultural, commercial and religious interaction in the Indian ocean Region.

Documentation of antiques

• More than 14 lakh antiquities have been documented, and data of more than 3lakh built heritage and sites (BH&S) has been uploaded on National Mission on Monuments an Antiquities (NMMA) website.

Inscription in World Heritage

• Due to the efforts of government the Excavated remains at Nalanda (Bihar), Khanjchendzonga national park (Sikkim), The Capitol complex (Chandigarh) were added to the world heritage sites list.

Swachh Smarak:

• All ASI Protected historical monuments and archaeological sites are declared polythene free zones.

HRIDAY- Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana

• It aims to bring urban planning, economic growth and heritage conservation together for heritage cities
• By this Scheme 12 heritage cities have been identified which will be rejuvenated and developed under HRIDAY.
• It also seeks beautification in an inclusive and integrated manner with focus on cleanliness, livelihoods, skills, safety, security, accessibility and faster service delivery of heritage cities.

• Metro facility has been well developed in the cities where most important monuments are there.

ASI Portal

• Archaeological society of India had created a portal for the must see monuments and archeologically sites of India under its protection
• The purpose of the portal is to highlight outstanding monuments and sites in India

Satellite Mapping

• ASI with the national remote sensing centre (ISRO) is preparing Satellite based maps indicating prohibited and regulated areas clearly for the information of the public.
• This helps to verify that no construction related activities happens within the monument complex.