GS1PIB · Current Affairs
Ministry of Culture schemes for promotion and conservation of India’s tangible and intangible heritage
Ministry of Culture schemes for India’s tangible and intangible heritage: ASI protection, DESH sites, museum grants, and intangible heritage safeguards
SP
Samachar Pathshala Desk
Published 24 Jul 2026 · 1 min
Key takeaways
- ASI is responsible for protection and conservation of Centrally Protected Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains.
- DESH Scheme is a Centrally Sponsored Sub-Scheme announced in the Union Budget 2026 for promotion and sustainable development of 15 selected tangible cultural heritage sites.
- Museum Grant Scheme provides financial assistance for development, modernization and digitization of museums at regional, State and district levels.
- ICH safeguarding supports identification, documentation, preservation, safeguarding and promotion of India’s living heritage.
What happened
The Ministry of Culture outlined its scheme framework for conserving and promoting India’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, stated the Ministry’s institutional roles and scheme coverage in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Tangible heritage: ASI conservation, DESH site development, and museum modernization
The UPSC angle
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Heritage governance: conservation plus development and living-tradition safeguarding through schemes
A common UPSC framing is to map scheme design to governance: ASI conservation for tangible heritage, DESH and museum grants for heritage-led development, and ICH and related grants for continuity of living traditions.
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