CONSERVATION OF PROTECTED MONUMENTS

• Conservation of Centrally Protected Monuments (CPMs) is the statutory mandate of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the Ministry of Culture, governed by the AMASR Act, 1958.
• ASI maintains 3,686 centrally protected monuments/sites across India; conservation is a continuous, resource-dependent process guided by the National Policy for Conservation.
• High-yield UPSC theme: intersects GS-I (Culture), GS-II (Governance/PPP), and GS-III (Tourism, CSR) — also a Prelims staple on schemes like Adopt a Heritage 2.0.