HRIDAY scheme called National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 21st January 2015. This scheme was introduced to preserve and revitalize the rich cultural heritage of the country. HRIDAY scheme aims in the conservation of heritage, urban planning and in increasing the economic growth of the heritage cities. The National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana emphasize on the accessibility, security, safety, livelihood, cleanliness and faster service delivery in the heritage cities.
Brief Information About the Scheme:
| Name of the scheme | HRIDAY |
| Full form of the scheme | National Heritage City Development And Augmentation Yojana |
| Date of launching | 21st January 2015 |
| Government Ministry | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs |
What is HRIDAY Scheme?
HRIDAY scheme was launched on 21st January 2015 for the development of heritage cities. This scheme aimed to preserve and revitalise heritage cities of India to reflect their unique character. It also encourages the development of an aesthetically appealing, accessible, informative and secured environment in heritage cities. The HRIDAY Urban Development Scheme has been implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and is being implemented with quantifiable goals similar to the implementation of the Smart City Scheme on a mission mode.
The focus of HRIDAY is the development of core heritage infrastructure by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for areas near heritage sites approved after identification by the Ministry of Culture. Development of infrastructure like approach roads, drainage, footpaths, electrical wiring, landscaping, sanitation, street lights, water supply, waste management and allied citizen services such as tourist conveniences, security etc. are some of the major focus areas of the scheme.
HRIDAY completed 4 years in January 2019 and has an outlay of funds pegged at Rs.685758 crore. The initially planned outlay was Rs 500 crore. Out of this projects worth about Rs 422 crore have been approved, and projects worth Rs 140. 14 crores have been completed.
HRIDAY Scheme Cities List
Below are the cities that are listed under the HRIDAY Scheme:
- Ajmer
- Amravati
- Badami
- Gaya
- Mathura
- Puri
- Varanasi
- Velankanni
- Warangal
- Dwarka
- Kanchipuram
- Amritsar
Statement of HRIDAY Scheme
Preserve and revitalize the soul of the heritage city to reflect the city’s unique character by encouraging an aesthetically appealing, accessible, informative & secured environment. To undertake strategic and planned development of heritage cities aiming at the improvement in overall quality of life with a specific focus on sanitation, security, tourism, heritage revitalization and livelihoods retaining the city’s cultural identity.
Objectives of HRIDAY
The official HRIDAY Scheme statement sets out the following quantifiable goals for urban development in heritage cities:
- Planning, developing and implementing infrastructure keeping in mind sensitivities of heritage, including service delivery and development of infrastructure in core areas of historic cities.
- Preserve and renovate heritage so that tourists can connect with each heritage city’s unique nature.
- Develop a heritage asset inventory of cities documenting built, cultural, living and natural heritage as a basis for urban planning, growth, planning of services and their delivery.
- Enhancement of basic services focussing on sanitation like public toilets, water taps, security like street lights and in improving tourist facilities.
- Create linkages between cultural facilities and tourism along with the conservation of heritage and capacity building of local industries based on heritage.
- Adaptive maintenance of urban heritage, including rehabilitation using appropriate technology for retrofitting historic buildings with modern conveniences. Establishment of public-private partnership for preserving and maintaining historic buildings is also part of this goal.
- Promotion of economic activities to enhance avenues of employment among people living in and around the heritage sites. This includes skill development among them and making public and cultural spaces accessible.
- Making cities informative using modern ICT tools and making cities secure using modern security devices like CCTV etc.
- Increase access to heritage sites by developing roads, adopting the universal design, GIS mapping of historical locations and building a digital record of the heritage etc.
