Culture Ministry received around Rs 9 cr as CSR from 2015 to 2017: Mahesh Sharma

The Culture Ministry has received more than Rs nine crore from the private sector as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) between 2015 and 2017 for development works at select monuments, Minister Mahesh Sharma informed the Lok Sabha today.

He said conservation and maintenance work of monuments is done from the funds allocated in the Union budget.

"The contribution of the CSR, is for development works at selected monuments through National Culture Fund. The revenue collected through various sources like ticketing, photography, filming, parking and from holding cultural events from selected centrally protected monument is deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India," the minister said.

He said in 2015-2016, the ministry had received Rs 354.8 lakh as CSR funds while in 2016-2017, it had received Rs 300 lakh and in 2017-2018 it has received Rs 250 lakh.

Recently, the Tourism Ministry had landed itself in a controversy when under its Adopt a Heritage scheme it allowed private entities to use their CSR funds to preserve and maintain heritage sites and monuments. Under the scheme, the Red Fort was given to a cement manufacturer for its upkeep.