SRINAGAR: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has 28 vacancies against a sanctioned strength of 68 posts in its Srinagar Circle, while the national agency has 3,073 vacant positions out of 8,755 sanctioned posts, according to data placed before the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The figures were provided by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in reply to Unstarred Question No. 2331 concerning the conservation and maintenance of centrally protected monuments.
In the Srinagar Circle, two of four sanctioned archaeologist posts are vacant, while seven of 14 posts in the conservation category, including engineers and conservation assistants, are unfilled. Four of five sanctioned posts in other technical cadres are vacant, while 15 of 45 miscellaneous posts remain vacant.
The circle has 40 personnel in position against 68 sanctioned posts. Its category-wise staff strength comprises 10 personnel from the unreserved category, 14 OBC, two EWS, eight SC and six ST.
Across the ASI, the Archaeology cadre has 191 vacancies against 420 sanctioned posts, while the Conservation category has 447 vacancies against 831 sanctioned posts. Other technical cadres, including surveyors, draftsmen, science, epigraphy, horticulture and architecture staff, have 191 vacancies against 440 sanctioned posts.
The largest shortfall is in miscellaneous categories, covering library, MTS, administrative, stenographer and photographer posts, with 2,244 vacancies against 7,064 sanctioned positions.
The minister said ASI’s manpower adequacy is reviewed continuously based on the sanctioned strength of its various circles, their functional requirements, the number of centrally protected monuments and sites under their jurisdiction and other administrative considerations. Deployment of available manpower is also reviewed periodically to ensure conservation, maintenance and management of protected monuments and sites.
The reply said Jammu and Kashmir has 3,688 centrally protected monuments and sites under ASI jurisdiction across the country, a figure that includes monuments such as the Laxman Temple in Sirpur and Bhoramdeo Temple in Chhattisgarh. The government said conservation and day-to-day maintenance of these sites are undertaken regularly according to their needs and the availability of resources, and asserted that all centrally protected monuments and sites are in a good state of preservation.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the ASI’s Srinagar Circle received an allocation of Rs 2.55 crore in 2021-22, with the entire amount spent. The allocation rose to Rs 6.11 crore in 2022-23, against expenditure of Rs 6.03 crore, while Rs 7.17 crore was allocated and spent in 2023-24.
The allocation stood at Rs 4.90 crore in 2024-25, with expenditure of Rs 4.89 crore, and increased to Rs 5.95 crore in 2025-26, all of which was reported as spent.
For Ladakh, the Mini Circle Leh allocation increased from Rs 43 lakh in 2021-22 to Rs 4.65 crore in 2025-26, with the full allocated amount shown as expenditure in each of the five years.
The government further said that under the Adopt A Heritage 2.0 programme, private and public entities may facilitate the development, provision and maintenance of identified visitor amenities at protected monuments. However, such entities are not entrusted with conservation or preservation work, which remains exclusively with the ASI.
As many as 31 memoranda of understanding have been signed under the programme. One of the listed projects involves the Group of Ancient Temples at Naranag in Kashmir, with the Kakini Building Humanity Trust named as the entity under the programme.
No proposal for any protected monument in Chhattisgarh has been received from any entity under Adopt A Heritage 2.0, the minister said.
The government also clarified that no private agency has been entrusted by ASI with the conservation and preservation of centrally protected monuments in Old Goa.
