Adopt a Heritage project, LoI awarded for 22 monuments
New Delhi-The 3rd Award Ceremony of Adopt a Heritage Project was conducted by Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), State/UTs Governments in New Delhi today for awarding the Letters of Intent to the shortlisted agencies under Phase IV of the project. Awarding the Letters of Intent to 9 agencies for 22 monuments of Phase-IV, Union Minister for Tourism (IC) K. J. Alphons asked the stakeholders to ‘protect, preserve and market’ the heritage of India.
The scheme “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan” was originally launched on 27thSeptember 2017 to preserve the rich cultural and natural heritage and to promote tourism across the length and breadth of our country. The Project began with selected ASI ticketed monuments and the scope has now been expanded to include other natural and cultural sites across the country. It was strongly emphasised that tourist experience is the prime parameter to evaluate our performance in the sector.
Various agencies that have come forward for adoption include not only public and private industry, but also schools and individuals. So far, 31 prospective monument mitras have been shortlisted by the Oversight & Vision committee for developing tourist friendly amenities at 95 monuments, heritage and other tourist sites including major heritage sites like Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Hampi, Sun Temple, Ajanta Caves, Char Minar, Kaziranga National Park. Earlier, two MoU’s were been signed between Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir, Govt. of Uttarakhand and Adventure Tour Operators Association of India(ATOAI) for Mt. Stok Kangri, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir and for Gangotri Temple Area & Trail to Gaumukh in Uttarakhand. Further, two MoUs were also signed for Red Fort, Delhi and Gandikota fort, Andhra Pradesh between Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, Archaeological Survey of India and Dalmia Bharat Limited.
Rashmi Verma, Secretary (Tourism), Satyajeet Rajan, DG (Tourism), Meenakshi Sharma (ADG Tourism) and other officials were present for the event.
List of heritage sites opted in Phase-IV of Adopt a Heritage
| S. No. | Agency Name | Site S. No. | Name of Monument/ Tourist Site |
| 1 | Orange County Resorts & Hotel | Lotus Mahal, Hampi, Karnataka | |
| Elephant Stables, Hampi, Karnataka | |||
| 2 | Heritage Resorts- Hampi | Ancient Pathway revival from Virupaksha Temple to Vitthala Temple, Hampi, Karnataka. | |
| Krishna Temple (behind Baravalinga), Hampi, Karnataka. | |||
| 3 | Kakatiya Heritage Trust | Ramappa Temple, Palampet, Telangana. | |
| 4 | ITC Limited | Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh. | |
| 5 | GMR Sports Pvt. Ltd. | ||
| 6 | Aga Khan Trust for Culture (An Agency of the Aga Khan Development Network ) | Agha Khan Palace, Pune, Maharashtra. | |
| 7 | The Padmini Haveli | Chittorgarh Fort, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. | |
| Deveriya Mahadev And Ruins Of Ancient Tambawati Nagri, Chittorgarh, Rajasthan. | |||
| 8 | Resbird Technologies Pvt. Ltd | Mehrauli Archeological Park, Delhi. | |
| Gol Gumbad, Lodhi Road Flyover | |||
| Bara Lao Ka Gumbad and Baradari , Vasant Vihar | |||
| 9 | Climbing World | Trails around Gaumukh Vashistha Ashram, Mount Abu, Rajasthan | |
| Tigar Path, Mount Abu, Rajasthan. | |||
| Bailey’s Walk including Toad Rock, Mount Abu Rajasthan. | |||
| Trails around Arbuda Devi & Shanti Shikhar, Mount Abu Rajasthan. | |||
| Trails around Dilwara Temple, Mount Abu Rajasthan. | |||
| Trails from Gurushikhar to Shergaon, Mount Abu Rajasthan. | |||
| Basic Field: A unique reserved location for Rock Climbing near Nakki Lake, Mount Abu, Rajasthan. | |||
| Kumbhalgarh Fort Wall, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan | |||
| Ram Tekri Path, Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. | |||
| Tirthankar Trail, Across Jain Temple, Ranakpur, Rajasthan. |
, Satyajeet Rajan, DG (Tourism), Meenakshi Sharma (ADG Tourism)){kind=link}