India's Heritage Sector Development Under Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi Initiative
India's heritage sector has witnessed significant expansion over the past 12 years under the "Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi" vision, focusing on institutional strengthening and large-scale digitization. The country's UNESCO footprint has grown from 31 to 44 World Heritage Sites, with increased recognition of intangible heritage including Yoga, Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja, and Garba.
Heritage Infrastructure and Tourism Development
The Adopt a Heritage 2.0 programme, launched in September 2017 and revamped in September 2023, has signed 30 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with private companies, public sector units, NGOs, trusts, and societies as of March 2026. The program recorded 13.59 million visitors at adopted monuments during FY 2024–25, demonstrating improved site management and enhanced public engagement.
The PRASHAD scheme, launched in January 2015, has sanctioned 54 projects across 28 States and Union Territories with a total estimated project cost of ₹1,726.74 crore as of February 2026. Out of these, 32 projects have been physically completed, including the Somnath Promenade Development Project costing ₹47.12 crore and the Kedarnath project which has already hosted over 5 lakh pilgrims during the ongoing season.
Swadesh Darshan 1.0 (2014–15) sanctioned 76 tourism infrastructure projects with an investment of ₹5,290.33 crore, with 75 projects physically completed by March 2026. The revamped Swadesh Darshan 2.0 has sanctioned 53 projects with ₹2,208.31 crore investment, while the Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) initiative has sanctioned 38 projects with ₹697.94 crore investment.
Monument Conservation and Archaeological Efforts
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) protects 3,686 centrally protected monuments as of April 2026, with ₹374 crore allocated for conservation and maintenance in 2024–25. The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) has documented 1.84 lakh monuments and 17.20 lakh antiquities across India as of March 2026.
The HRIDAY scheme, implemented in 12 heritage cities until its mission period ended on 31 March 2019, focused on integrating urban development with heritage conservation while improving basic infrastructure, sanitation, security, tourism, and livelihoods.
Major Heritage Redevelopment Projects
Key redevelopment projects include the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor inaugurated in December 2021, a ₹355-crore project over 5.5 acres that has recorded over 25.28 crore devotees in 3.5 years with an estimated ₹1.25 lakh crore economic impact and average visitor spending of ₹4,000–₹5,000 per person.
Somnath Temple records 92–97 lakh annual devotees (nearly 98 lakh in 2020), including 13.77 lakh for Bilva Pooja and 3.56 lakh during Maha Shivratri 2025. The temple's sustainability measures include treating 30 lakh litres of wastewater monthly and a 7,200-tree Miyawaki forest absorbing approximately 93,000 kg CO₂ annually.
The 12.9 km Sonprayag–Kedarnath Ropeway, approved under the National Ropeways Development Programme at ₹4,081.28 crore, will use 3S technology with capacity of 1,800 passengers per hour per direction, reducing travel time from 8–9 hours to 36 minutes for the site that receives around 20 lakh pilgrims annually.
Tourism in Ayodhya is estimated to generate ₹18,000 crore annually by 2028, with current tourism revenue of ₹8,000–₹12,500 crore annually. Visitor numbers surged from 57.5 million in 2023 to over 160 million in 2024, with more than 230 million devotees in the first half of 2025.
Repatriation and Cultural Recovery
India has intensified efforts to reclaim sacred relics and artefacts, with 653 antiquities retrieved since 2014, including 613 in the past five years alone. Major repatriations include the Piprahwa Relics of Lord Buddha returned in 2025 after 127 years, Goddess Annapurna idol repatriated from Canada in 2021 after 108 years, and Rama, Sita and Lakshmana bronze idols returned from the UK in 2020.
Global expositions of sacred Buddha relics have drawn significant attendance: Vietnam (2025) with over 15 million devotees, Kalmykia, Russia (2025) with over 90,000 visitors, and exhibitions in Bhutan (2025) and Sri Lanka (2026).
Museums and Digital Initiatives
The Museum Grant Scheme supports new museum establishment and modernization, while the Archaeological Experiential Museum at Vadnagar, established in January 2025 at ₹298 crore cost spanning 12,500 square meters, showcases over 5,000 artifacts including organic remains and features a 4,000-square-meter open excavation site visible at 16–18 meters depth.
The Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum, being developed in the historic North and South Blocks under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, will span 1,54,000 square meters presenting India's civilizational journey.
The Gyan Bharatam Mission, launched in 2025, has digitized more than 8 lakh manuscripts with 1.29 lakh manuscripts accessible on the National Digital Repository. The National Manuscript Survey was launched in March 2026 for comprehensive documentation.
Technology integration includes LiDAR scanning, GIS mapping, drone surveys, and AI applications through platforms like BHASHINI (supporting 22 voice languages and 36 text languages with 350+ AI models and over 4 billion language transactions), BharatGen, and Adi-Vaani for tribal language preservation.
The National Film Heritage Mission has digitized 1,469 titles equaling 4.3 lakh minutes of films as of December 2025, while the National Museum of Indian Cinema, inaugurated in 2019 at ₹140.61 crore, recorded over 17,000 visitors in May 2026.