Discuss how the vision of *Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi* balances modernisation with cultural preservation. Illustrate with schemes.

Q. Discuss how the vision of Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi balances modernisation with cultural preservation. Illustrate with schemes. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi — the motto of "development as well as heritage" reiterated by the Union Culture Ministry [1] — rejects the assumption that growth must come at heritage's cost, treating civilisational inheritance as an asset for development rather than an obstacle to it.

Modernising infrastructure around heritage, not over it - HRIDAY (2015) funded sanitation, civic amenities and pedestrian access in 12 heritage cities including Varanasi, Ajmer, Puri and Warangal — modern urban services layered onto historic cores [2]. - PRASHAD (Ministry of Tourism) develops facilities at pilgrimage destinations, converting devotional footfall into serviced tourism infrastructure and local employment [3].

Technology for preservation - National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities documents monuments and antiquities in a national database, while the Vedic Heritage Portal digitises Vedic texts and recitations — using modern tools to arrest decay and loss [4].

Protecting the intangible alongside the built - Garba of Gujarat was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List in December 2023 as India's 15th intangible element, recognised for fostering social and gender inclusivity — heritage as living community practice, not museum exhibit [5].

Heritage as soft power and diplomacy - India hosted the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee at Bharat Mandapam (July 2024), where the PM pledged USD 1 million to the World Heritage Centre for capacity building in the Global South [6]. - Moidams of Charaideo (Assam) became India's 43rd World Heritage Site and the Northeast's first cultural inscription, widening the map of what counts as national heritage [7].

Frictions that remain - Delivery is split across Culture, Tourism and MoHUA, risking overlap; rising tourist volumes can themselves stress fragile sites and displace local livelihoods.

The vision works where modernisation is made instrumental to preservation — access, documentation and recognition. Sustaining it needs community-anchored site management, adequate conservation staffing and carrying-capacity limits at popular sites, so that heritage remains, as Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi promises, both inherited and lived.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. Reiterating the motto of PM Narendra Modi of 'Vikas bhi Virasat bhi' — Union Minister of Culture on Heritage Sites, PIB — origin and framing of the slogan 2. National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), PIB — HRIDAY's 12 cities and civic-amenity focus 3. PRASHAD Scheme, Ministry of Tourism, PIB — pilgrimage infrastructure development 4. Preserving India's Rich Heritage: Government Initiatives and Cultural Revival, PIB — NMMA documentation and Vedic Heritage Portal 5. 'Garba of Gujarat' Declared as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, PIB — 15th ICH element, Dec 2023, inclusivity 6. PM inaugurates 46th Session of World Heritage Committee at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, PIB — hosting the session and the USD 1 million grant 7. Moidams – The Mound-Burial System of Ahom Dynasty Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as India's 43rd Entry, PIB — 43rd WHS, first cultural site from the Northeast