Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared his government’s commitment to promoting global cooperation and engaging local communities in efforts towards heritage conservation.

“We have seen that there are different centres of heritage in the world. But India is so ancient that every point of the present tells us the story of some glorious past,” he said addressing the 46th World Heritage Committee meeting.

In this connection, Mr Modi gave the example of the national capital, saying the world knows Delhi as the capital city of India. But this city is also the centre of thousands of years old heritage.

”Here you will see historical heritage at every step. About 15 Km from here, there is an iron pillar weighing several tons. A pillar that has been standing in the open for 2000 years, yet it is rust-resistant to date. This shows how advanced India’s metallurgy was even at that time,” he said.

The PM said it is clear that India’s heritage is not only history but also India’s science. India’s heritage also shows the glorious journey of top-notch engineering.

”Today, India is celebrating the holy festival of Guru Purnima. First of all, I congratulate all of you and all my countrymen on this festival of knowledge and spirituality. On such an important day, today the meeting of the 46th World Heritage Committee is starting and this event is being organized in India for the first time and naturally, all my countrymen including me are very happy about it,” he said.

Speaking at the meet, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, “The G-20 Summit held last year under the leadership of PM Modi has changed the way the world looks at India. After forming the government for the third time after the historic election, we have once again succeeded in drawing attention towards India through this big event in a very short time.”

This event will not only showcase the advanced skills and achievements achieved by India in modern knowledge and science but along with this, it will also showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage and its diversity, historical heritage related to India’s glorious history, and the serious efforts of the government related to their maintenance on the world stage, he said.

This is the first mega event to be hosted by India in the third term of Prime Minister Modi.

The 46th World Heritage Committee meeting has been organized by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), on behalf of the Ministry of Culture. It brings together delegates from across the globe to discuss and collaborate on preserving our shared cultural, natural, and mixed heritage. It is a significant step towards India’s ever-increasing stature in fostering global cooperation and ensuring the protection of World Heritage properties.