Sir — Despite cries from the Opposition that the Government is trying to “privatise” India’s heritage, the move to allow private corporations to ‘adopt’ national monuments is welcome. Actually, the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ programme is just a repackaged scheme of the BJP Government that was initiated in 1996 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. Though the programme was started under his Government, neither UPA I nor UPA II had any problems with it. This because several MoUs were signed under the said plan when UPA was in power.
Thus, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury’s claim that Red Fort will be “privatised” is unlikely to come true. There is nothing wrong in a private entity using the heritage value of the cultural property to generate money. However, it should be done in a way that suits the spirit of the place; in a manner that doesn’t harm the heritage under question.