Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Culture, Government of India, has called for steps to unlock India’s ‘monument economy’ and use the country’s vast heritage assets to stimulate the tourism ecosystem, generate employment and contribute to national GDP growth.
Aggarwal was addressing newly inducted Senior Conservation Assistants and Conservation Assistants of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) after inaugurating their training programme at the Institute of Archaeology in Delhi NCR.
He stressed the need to harness India’s protected monuments as economic catalysts. Highlighting the importance of the country’s “Monument Economy”, the Culture Secretary said cultural heritage can directly generate employment and contribute to national GDP by stimulating tourism, local transport, hospitality, artisan markets, light-and-sound shows and curated heritage walks, among other activities, either directly or through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Aggarwal also exhorted the officers to embrace decisive leadership, saying institutional resources should not be a barrier to initiatives undertaken in the right earnest. He outlined an ethos of prioritising national interest first, followed by institutional duty, and the interests of society and family.
Yadubir Singh Rawat, Director General, ASI, reiterated the organisation’s guiding conservation philosophy of “Minimum intervention and Maximum retention.”
The revamped curriculum combines core archaeological practices with administrative decision-making. It also trains officers in Government Financial Rules (GFR), administrative law, establishment procedures, manpower management, and departmental inquiries.