The Centre has proposed opening up the conservation of protected monuments to the private sector, a responsibility that has been the sole mandate of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) until now.Thus far, the ASI, which functions under the Ministry of Culture, has been entrusted with the core conservation work of as many as 3,700 protected monuments across the country. Here is what to know.Selecting private agenciesThe government plans to empanel over a dozen conservation architects with established credentials, who will guide private donors in hiring agencies for the effective conservation of significant heritage sites across the country, some dating back thousands of years.Once the tender is floated, applications will be welcomed from conservation architects with proven credentials who have worked with state departments or in the restoration of private havelis that are at least 100 years old. They may also need to demonstrate financial competence by meeting a minimum turnover benchmark.Incentivising the private sectorThe Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and private organisations thus selected will soon be able to directly hire external agencies to commence the conservation work at temples, forts, baolis and other heritage spaces across the country. The money thus invested would be treated as corporate social responsibility (CSR), granting private players 100% tax exemptions.Besides the financial incentive, these contributors will now become a visible presence on site, through banners and other paraphernalia detailing the funds contributed and the nature of the project undertaken. The funds will be routed through the National Culture Fund, set up in 1966 to record corporate donations for heritage conservation. Under the ASI’s sole mandate, fund collection through this route has been painfully slow.The new plan will enhance capacity in conservation work and ensure stricter compliance timelines for projects. Corporate sponsors of conservation efforts have struggled with this in the past, despite their contributions to the National Culture Fund. The donors would now be able to direct the funds to the specific conservation task and monitor timelines, instead of channelling the funds to the government for the same purpose.Story continues below this adWhy enlist the private sector nowAs the lone agency tasked with overseeing the conservation of the 3,000-odd protected monuments countrywide, the ASI has been resource-starved and understaffed. In the past, this has brought it under fire for failing to complete projects on time. In 2023, The Indian Express reported that 50 protected monuments had gone ‘missing and untraceable’, a direct result of the ASI’s inability to keep up with the huge mandate it was assigned.The 324th report submitted to Parliament on 15 June 2022 by the Rajya Sabha’s Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture focused on these untraceable monuments and came down heavily on the Ministry of Culture and the ASI over the issue. The committee later added that some of the monuments have been lost to ‘urbanisation or submersion under water’.The government hopes that allowing the private sector entry to this space would tremendously help build capacity in heritage conservation in the long term, while also giving private players a stake in the process. Currently, of the ASI’s total budget of roughly Rs 1,100–1,200 crore, half goes towards conservation, which may not be adequate considering the wealth of heritage sites India holds.Areas of concernThe government’s ‘Adopt a Heritage’ scheme in 2017, and its revamped version in 2023, permitted corporate entities and PSUs to become ‘monument mitras’ and help create amenities for visitors (ticket windows, toilet blocks, entry and exit points, cafés, etc.). Coupling this with the present effort will help create a sustainable public-private partnership model for heritage conservation in the country.Story continues below this adHowever, the task of building facilities at a monument is a far cry from taking over the overall conservation work on site. It is not surprising, then, that the government has been cautious in its approach to opening up conservation and restoration work of protected monuments to the private sector.Whilst funds must be routed through the National Culture Fund, the idea is to implement conservation projects under ASI supervision, and the detailed project report (DPR) must follow the National Policy for Conservation, 2014. Initially, the government will publish a list of 250 monuments that require conservation work, allowing donors to choose from this list. Subsequent progress in this initiative will build on the success of the first tranche of projects under these new guidelines.