SRINAGAR: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) spent Rs 26.59 crore on conservation, preservation and environmental development of centrally protected monuments in Jammu and Kashmir during the five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26, the Union Government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
The expenditure in JK rose from Rs 2.55 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 5.95 crore in 2025-26, with the highest annual spending of Rs 7.17 crore recorded in 2023-24, according to figures placed before the House by the Ministry of Culture.
The ASI spent Rs 6.03 crore in 2022-23 and Rs 4.89 crore in 2024-25 on conservation-related works in the Union Territory.
The disclosure came in response to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2907 on the conservation and promotion of historical forts.
At the national level, the Government said there are 3,688 centrally protected monuments and sites under the care and maintenance of the ASI. Conservation, maintenance and development works are undertaken according to the requirements of individual monuments and the availability of resources.
Importantly, the Government said no centrally protected monument has been identified as endangered under ASI protection, adding that all centrally protected monuments are in a good state of preservation.
Across the country, expenditure on conservation, preservation and environmental development stood at Rs 1,794.74 crore over the five-year period, rising from Rs 269.57 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 376.67 crore in 2025-26. The highest annual expenditure was Rs 443.53 crore in 2023-24.
JK’s five-year expenditure accounted for around 1.5 per cent of the national conservation spending recorded in the figures.
Ladakh, which is listed separately in the ASI expenditure statement, received Rs 12.70 crore for conservation-related works during the same period, with annual expenditure increasing from Rs 43 lakh in 2021-22 to Rs 4.65 crore in 2025-26.
The Ministry said conservation of centrally protected monuments is a continuous process and is carried out based on the condition and requirements of protected sites, subject to the availability of resources.
