New Delh: Seeking a paradigm shift in the approach to conserving heritage cities, the urban development ministry will soon launch a Rs 500 crore scheme encompassing retrofitting of historic buildings and promotion of core tangible economic activities.
The Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) will be implemented in seven ancient cities, including Varanasi, Ajmer, Gaya, Kancheepuram and Velankanni.
The scheme aims at creation of effective linkages between tourism and cultural legacy in the form of heritage, heritage adaptive rehabilitation including retrofitting of historic buildings, development and promotion of core tangible economic activities to enhance livelihood avenues among stakeholders. The other cities to be covered under Hriday are Amritsar and Mathura.
As per the plan, steps will be taken to integrate heritage conservation with urban planning and seeks integrated, inclusive and sustainable development of such cities.
Urban development minister M. Venkaiah Naidu told PTI, "The heritage development of a city is not about beautification and conservation of just a few monuments, but development of the entire city in light of its heritage characteristics, its planning, its cleanliness, its economy and livelihoods and preservation of its history."
Hriday will be a Central scheme, the first-of-its-kind in urban development under which the Central government would support the entire expenditure.
"It has been conceived for a three-year period 2014-2017 and an expenditure proposed under the scheme is Rs 500 crore. A provision of Rs 200 crore has already been in the budget for the current financial year," said a senior urban development ministry official.
