Heritage City Development And Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY Scheme)

The Heritage City Development And Augmentation Yojana or HRIDAY Scheme is a government scheme that was launched on 21st January 2015. The main objective of this scheme was to preserve the rich Indian Heritage that was taking steady steps towards deterioration. The concept was to develop Ancient India alongside Urban and Rural planning and management. This Scheme would cover under it the cities which are Indian Heritage sites.

HRIDAY Scheme

Launch Of HRIDAY Scheme

India is a land of diverse cultural traditions. People of all religious strata reside in India from time immemorial. Thus India houses a classic and rich collection of music, art, literature, handicrafts, and architectural wonders. Conservation of these resources has often been a neglected process. The efforts were mainly from local communities residing in Heritage sites. 

But they did not have the full means to implement their ideas. The Central Government focused basically on financial issues, urban development, provision of facilities like sewerage connection, and water supply. This resulted in the Heritage being derelict. Proper direction, sanitary facilities, lighting, and other decorative aspects were found missing from Heritage sites. Thus the pride of India suffered.

This is when HRIDAY came to play. The Scheme took up the objective to develop Heritage cities on an overall basis. Conservation of the main monuments was the key objective, but not the only objective. HRIDAY covered an entire Heritage City and aimed to improve its sanitary systems, economic status, and quality of basic services provided. This, in turn, would lead to financial development via tourism, thus exposing the Indian culture maximally.

Objectives Of HRIDAY Scheme

HRIDAY aims to develop the basic heritage framework of India by conserving and renewing ancient infrastructure like:

• Ancient Monuments
• Temples and their architecture
• Prayer Ghats

Apart from the infrastructural development of the heritages stated above, the cities around them would also undergo revitalization. This includes improved sanitary facilities, sewerage system, connectivity through main roads, and transportation facilities. Thus the main objective revolves around the following ideas:

The HRIDAY scheme is to be implemented over a period of approximately 4 years ( January 2015 to November 2018).

• Development and Improving the framework of Heritage sites.
• Improving public service delivered to cities with heritage sites.
• Keep documentation of all heritage sites ready to refer to the architectural and cultural aspects while developing.
• Improve the connectivity to heritage sites through roads so as to make tourism easier.

Growth And Implementation Of HRIDAY Scheme

The 4 years allotted to implementing the HRIDAY scheme cover 12 major cities identified as the heritage sites of India. They are:

Amaravati, Amritsar, Ajmer, Badami, Gaya, Dwarka, Mathura, Kanchipuram, Velankanni, Varanasi, Puri, and Warangal.

These are the targeted cities in which the objectives are being currently implemented. Thus from the development and tourism point of view, large progress has been made.

Funding Towards HRIDAY

The government of India has allocated a total asset of 500 crores INR to fund the HRIDAY Scheme. The funds are divided as follows:

1. 85% of the funds will go towards specific heritage site improvement.
2. 3% of the funds will go towards the development of heritage cities.
3. The cost of operation and administration is covered by 1% of the funds.
4. Improving communication and networking is covered by 4% of the funds
5. To increase the capacity of local communities aiming to develop these sites, 3% of the total funds are being allocated.
6. 4% of the funding will go towards the preparation of reports and other documentation regarding the heritage sites.

The above division stands for the funds allocated to each of the 12 cities for heritage development.