National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities
On 15th August, 2003, Prime Minister of India made an announcement for setting up of a National Mission on India’s Tangible Heritage. Accordingly the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities was launched on 19th March 2007. In a country like India, endowed with both tangible and intangible heritage of an immense cultural and artistic value, commissioning of National Mission for Monuments and Antiquities occupies a position of great antiquarian significance
Objectives
The objective for undertaking the National Mission on Monuments & Sites and Antiquities is to develop a national database with a view to enhances access to the students, scholars, researchers and to the general public and preserve it for the posterity. The main emphasis should be to improve awareness about cultural inheritance and encourage their use for educational and research purposes for lifelong learning.
Scope
The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities proposes to launch its activities throughout the country with independent functional strategy in each state and union territory. It is envisaged that mandate of the Mission should be achieved within a stipulated time frame of five years i.e. 2007-2012.
Conservation and preservation of archaeological monuments & sites and antiquarian still remains a significant challenge. Some of the built heritage and antiquarian remains have already disappeared, while some of these are in a state of decay/damage. Since these monuments and antiquarian remains are on the verge of extinction because of the hostile conditions of weather, encroachment in the name of developmental works, it is our sacred duty to safeguard them from all the odds. Our challenge is to safeguard them by means of adopting measures of conservation, preservation, environmental development followed by documentation. The challenges before the Central and State governments are enormous and arduous in nature, for which other organizations and stakeholders have to be roped in as equal partners in safeguarding the monuments, sites and antiquarian remains.