The Budget has given the Archaeological Survey of India a booster shot, giving it ₹140.38 crore under ‘capital’ budget, compared with ₹30.27 crore in the revised estimates for 2023-24 and ₹15.67 crore (actual) in 2022-23.
The allocation towards revenue expenditure to ASI remains unchanged, at around ₹1,000 crore.
While the reason for the ₹110-crore bump in the allocation to ASI has not been explicitly mentioned, the footnotes offer a clue, where it speaks of exploring “the multi-faceted Indian Ocean ‘World’ — collating archaeological and historical research.”
The ASI is a relic of British times — it was set up in 1861 for preserving monuments and sites. It is attached to the Ministry of Culture.
Today, the ASI protects 3,693 monuments, including 22 ‘world heritage’, 10 iconic and 100 Aadarsh monuments. These monuments include pre-historic stone-age sites, temples, mosques, churches and forts. The ASI also operates the National Mission for Monuments and Antiquities.