By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : A proposal to set up a watchdog for over 3,600 ASI-protected monuments in the country received the Union Cabinet’s approval Monday.
The proposal to set up the National Monument Authority, a provision for which is provided in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act 2010, was brought before the Cabinet and was approved, official sources said.
The bill, which replaced an ordinance by the Government in January this year, is aimed at strengthening the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958, and was passed in Parliament during the Budget session in April.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who also holds the charge of Culture Ministry, was said to have been keen on passing the Bill and establishing of the Authority.