India News | No Temple Under ASI Protection is Under Debilitated Condition: Govt

New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) There are 3,696 centrally-protected monuments including temples under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India, and none of these temples is under a debilitated condition, the government told Parliament on Thursday.

The government was asked whether it is a fact that there are huge number of centuries-old temples in the country which are in "debilitated condition" and needs rejuvenation, and if the Centre has prepared a comprehensive list of such structures in consultation with state governments.

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"No such list has been prepared by the ASI," Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy in Rajya Sabha in his response to the question.

Asked if it is a fact that "there are huge number of centuries-old temples in the country which are in debilitated condition and need rejuvenation," the government only responded about ASI-protected sites.

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"There are 3,696 centrally-protected monuments including temples under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the country. There is no temple in debilitated condition under the jurisdiction of ASI and all are in good state of preservation," the minister said.

"The ASI takes up conservation work of monuments/sites including temples as per requirement and availability of resources, while following the National Conservation Policy, 2014," he added.

Necessary ASI staff is deployed for protection of historical monuments or sites including temples. If any encroachment is noticed, legal action is initiated against the violators as per the provisions prescribed under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the minister said in his response.

In response to a separate query, the Union culture minister said, there are 2,701 vacancies in the ASI, against the sanctioned strength of 8,778.

Asked about the number of posts which have been created in the last four years in the ASI, he said, "758 posts". PTI KND

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)