HAL, NCF and ASI Sign Pact for Three Heritage Sites

The correct answer is Hampi, the Taj Mahal and Bekal Fort. The agreement signed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the National Culture Fund and the Archaeological Survey of India covers conservation and development work at Hampi in Karnataka, the Taj Mahal at Agra in Uttar Pradesh and Bekal Fort in Kerala. The other options are wrong because they bring in monuments that do not figure in this agreement, such as Khajuraho, Golconda Fort, Konark, Chittorgarh Fort and the Ajanta Caves, even though each of them is a protected monument in its own right. Candidates should note the spread of the three chosen sites across Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, and that the Archaeological Survey of India keeps the technical supervision of the work while the company provides the money.

The correct answer is 23.60 crore rupees. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited accorded in-principle approval for financial support of this amount, to be used over the financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29, and the spending forms part of the company's corporate social responsibility effort. The funds will pay for conservation and preservation work and for better amenities for visitors at the three sites, which should in turn help sustainable heritage tourism. The other three figures are incorrect, as no such sum was announced in this agreement. Along with the amount, remember the three year window of the spending and the division of roles: the National Culture Fund will facilitate implementation, while the Archaeological Survey of India will supervise the work technically so that prescribed conservation norms are met.

The correct answer is Hampi, the site in Karnataka that stands on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. The projects there take in the historic North Bazaar and South Bazaar areas, where development work is proposed over a stretch of about 270 metres in the first and about 250 metres in the second. At the Taj Mahal and at Bekal Fort the agreement provides for approved conservation and site development work settled in consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India, but no bazaar stretches are named for them, so options A and B are wrong. Option D is not a heritage site at all: Kartavya Bhawan-02 in New Delhi is the building where the agreement was signed, in the presence of the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Vivek Aggarwal. Keep the two lengths at Hampi in mind.

The correct answer is the Ministry of Culture. The National Culture Fund was established by that ministry to make partnerships possible between the government and the corporate sector for conserving and promoting India's tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and this agreement is an example of that purpose at work. Option B is wrong because the Archaeological Survey of India is the agency that protects monuments and will supervise the work technically, not the body that created the Fund. Option C is wrong since the Ministry of Tourism has no role in this agreement. Option D is wrong because Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is the defence public sector company funding the projects from its corporate social responsibility budget. The Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Vivek Aggarwal, was present when the agreement was signed in New Delhi.