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Budget 2026: Rakhigarhi, 14 other sites to be become cultural hubs
The government on Sunday proposed to develop 15 archaeological sites, including Rakhigarhi, Lothal and Dholavira, into ‘vibrant cultural destinations’, and set up a national destination digital knowledge grid to digitally document all places of significance across the country, including cultural and spiritual sites.
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The government on Sunday proposed to develop 15 archaeological sites, including Rakhigarhi, Lothal and Dholavira, into ‘vibrant cultural destinations’, and set up a national destination digital knowledge grid to digitally document all places of significance across the country, including cultural and spiritual sites.
Presenting the Union Budget 2026-27, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed the development of ecologically sustainable mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir and the setting up of a National Institute of Hospitality by upgrading the existing National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology.
The government has set aside ₹2,438.40 crore for the tourism sector in the Budget, with ₹2,433.87 as revenue expenditure. The outlay in the culture sector is ₹3,416.63 crore. The revised Budget estimate for 2025-26 for the sector was ₹3,550.09 crore.
In her 85-minute speech, Sitharaman made a slew of announcements related to several sectors, including agriculture, finance, health, employment, industry and tourism.
The minister proposed to develop 15 archaeological sites, including Lothal, Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Sarnath, Hastinapur, and Leh Palace into “vibrant experiential cultural destinations.” “Excavated landscapes will be opened to the public through curated walkways, immersive storytelling skills, and technologies will be introduced to help conservation labs, interpretation centres and guides,” she said.
The finance minister also announced the setting up of a national-level digital grid to “digitally document” all places of significance.
“A National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid will be established to digitally document all places of significance, cultural, spiritual and heritage. This initiative will create a new ecosystem of jobs for local researchers, historians, content creators and technology partners,” she said.
Sitharaman said India has the potential and opportunity to offer a world-class trekking and hiking experience.
“We will develop ecologically sustainable mountain trails in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir; Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats and Podhigai Malai in the Western Ghats; turtle trails along key nesting sites in the coastal areas of Odisha, Karnataka and Kerala; and bird watching trails along the Pulikat lake in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu,” the minister said.
She proposed a “pilot scheme for upskilling 10,000 guides in 20 iconic tourist sites” through a standardised high-quality 12-week training programme in hybrid mode, in collaboration with an Indian Institute of Management.
