Panaji: Goa government has been pitching for inclusion of the State under Central government’s ambitious ‘PRASAD’ scheme, which will help to revive infrastructure at the monuments with heritage and archeological importance in the State.
State government’s move comes in the wake of opposition expressed by section of people to the Central government’s Adopt a Heritage scheme, under which the monuments would be taken up for infrastructure upgradation by private parties.
Goa Archives and Archeology department has been communicating with the Central government to cover the State under Union Tourism ministry’s Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme.
State Archives Minister Vijai Sardesai said that the talks are on with the Central government so that the infrastructure at the heritage monuments and places of Archeologically importance could be taken up for upgradation under central government funds.
He said that the discussion are right now going on and State government is optimistic that the Central government will consider the proposal from Goa.
Ministry of Tourism, under PRASAD scheme, has listed twelve cities including Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Gaya (Bihar), Dwarka (Gujarat), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), Vellankani (Tamil Nadu), Puri (Odisha), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand) and Kamkhya (Assam).
A senior officer from Archives and Archeology department said that to implement PRASAD in these twelve cities, a mission directorate has been set up in the union ministry of tourism.
“There were fears that under Adopt a Heritage scheme of central government, we would hand over our monuments to private parties. In order to rule out any apprehensions, State government has decided to put up the infrastructure under the centrally sponsored scheme,” the officer said.
In the past, the apprehensions were raised over handing over of Old Goa Churches and Historic Cab-de-Rama Fort to the private parties under central government floated Adopt a Heritage scheme.
