Film and photo shoots on themes of “national importance” at most Centrally-protected monuments across the country would not incur the usual fee starting from Friday till Independence Day 2021, according to an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) notification on Thursday.
Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said the initiative would start from the birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Friday till August 15, 2021, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence. In a tweet, he said that this was an auspicious occasion to promote freedom, arts, culture and tourism.
The ASI notification said the exemption would be given to applicants working on themes of the Independence movement, life of freedom fighters, Indian traditions and culture, promotion of languages and folk arts, and “other issues of national importance”. The applicants would have to pay a refundable security deposit, it said. The exemption would not be applicable to 27 out of the ASI’s 3,691 monuments and ancient sites, including the Agra Fort, the Ajanta Caves and the churches of Goa.
