Development of Excavation Sites and Heritage Complexes (DESH) scheme

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Government policies and interventions

Why in News?

Recently, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed developing archaeological sites in the Union Budget 2026.

Aim – It is a heritage-based cultural tourism development scheme aimed at developing archaeological sites into vibrant experiential cultural destinations.
Nodal Ministry – The Ministry of Culture.
Objective – To place heritage at the centre of cultural tourism.
To open excavated landscapes for public engagement and generate local employment, and strengthen regional economies.
To disperse tourism from over-crowded destinations to emerging heritage locations.

Proposed Sites – Sites span from 3rd century BC to 19th century, across India.

Period	Site
Indus Valley / Ancient Civilisation	Lothal (Gujarat) Dholavira (Gujarat) Rakhigarhi (Haryana) Hastinapur (Uttar Pradesh) Agroha (Haryana) Eran (Madhya Pradesh – ancient mint site)
Buddhist / Early Historic	Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh) Sannati (Karnataka) Udayagiri (Odisha)
Iron Age	Adichanallur (Tamil Nadu – Iron Age urn burial site)
Medieval to Early Modern	Jhansi Fort (Uttar Pradesh) Chittorgarh Fort (Rajasthan) Purana Qila (New Delhi) Leh Palace (Ladakh) Sibasagar – Ahom site (Assam)

References

IE | DESH scheme