On paper, this is win-win for everyone. The benefits of keeping monuments in top condition are many. Along with ensuring that they age gracefully, the economic spinoff of well-maintained monuments is immense. Good tourist flow can ensure not just gate money for monuments but also for those associated with the tourism industry. In 2022, the sector contributed ₹15.7 lakh crore to the Indian economy. By end-2023, it is expected to touch ₹16.5 lakh crore. For any city or town, a good inflow of tourists means pressure on governments to maintain associated infrastructure and security.
But while CSR funding is helpful, corporates shouldn’t treat such expenses as perfunctory gestures to meet regulatory obligations. This caveat is important as many companies write generous CSR cheques without following up on the implementation process. This approach can do more damage than good, for heritage monuments, even permanent damage. ASI must ensure that CSR funds are spent wisely and effectively, and any project undertaken with CSR funds is examined and supervised by experts as any infra project is. In the end, the health of these monuments are ASI’s responsibility.
