The Chief Minister's Office of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday, 18 June 2026 highlighted twelve years of the central government's cultural agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing advances in heritage conservation, spiritual infrastructure, museum development, and the global promotion of India's ancient traditions.

Context

The post, shared under the hashtags #12YearsOfVikasBhiVirasatBhi and #12YearsOfSeva ('12 Years of Development as well as Heritage' and '12 Years of Service'), marks a political milestone framing the BJP-led central government's cultural record since 2014. The message tags Prime Minister's Office, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, and the Religious Trusts and Endowments handle, signalling coordinated messaging across state and central offices. The phrase 'Vikas Bhi Virashat Bhi' — 'Development as well as Heritage' — has served as an official slogan pairing economic growth metrics with cultural preservation.

Policy Backdrop

Since 2014, the central government has pursued a multi-pronged cultural policy across several flagship schemes. The PRASAD scheme (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive), launched in 2014-15, channelled central funds into pilgrim infrastructure at religious sites nationwide. Simultaneously, the Swadesh Darshan scheme introduced integrated development of theme-based tourist circuits — including Buddhist, heritage, and spiritual routes — benefiting states such as Madhya Pradesh, which hosts major sites including Khajuraho, Sanchi, and Omkareshwar. The Adopt a Heritage scheme, launched in 2017, further encouraged corporate and institutional participation in monument upkeep. In 2021, a new national museum policy framework and modernisation of several site museums under the Ministry of Culture were announced, reinforcing the government's push to reposition India's cultural assets as both identity markers and tourism resources.

Stakeholders and Impact

The cultural policy arc directly affects religious pilgrims, heritage tourists, local artisans, and state tourism departments. Madhya Pradesh, as a state with exceptional density of UNESCO-recognised and ASI-protected monuments, has consistently aligned its tourism and endowments departments with centrally sponsored schemes to secure funding and visibility. Local artisan communities around heritage clusters stand to benefit from increased footfall driven by improved pilgrim and tourist infrastructure. The global promotion dimension — referenced explicitly in the post — also targets diaspora communities and international heritage tourists, positioning India's ancient traditions as soft-power assets on the world stage.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the next central budget allocation for the Ministry of Culture and any new phases of the PRASAD or Swadesh Darshan circuits announced for Madhya Pradesh sites. A possible parliamentary discussion on the draft National Culture Policy could give further legislative shape to the agenda the post celebrates. As the ruling dispensation marks twelve years in office, the cultural-heritage portfolio is likely to remain a prominent plank of political communication, with state governments such as Madhya Pradesh amplifying central messaging to reinforce shared ideological and electoral identity.