Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday, 18 June 2026, hailed the past decade as an era of historic cultural renaissance for India, invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dual-mandate slogan of development alongside heritage preservation.

Context

In his post on X, Sonowal described the last ten years as a period in which Bharat has been 'reclaiming its civilisational pride' under the guiding mantra of Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi — roughly translated as 'Development too, Heritage too.' The post was tagged #12YearsOfVikasBhiVirasatBhi, marking what the BJP frames as a twelve-year arc of this dual-emphasis policy philosophy.

The minister credited the 'vision of Hon'ble PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji' as the driving force behind this cultural and developmental trajectory, situating the anniversary within the broader ideological narrative of civilisational self-assertion that has defined the ruling party's public communications since 2014.

Policy Backdrop

The slogan Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi has been a recurring fixture in BJP communications since the formation of the first Modi government in 2014, presenting economic growth and cultural revival as complementary rather than competing objectives. Government programmes under this framework have included heritage-linked tourism initiatives, temple restoration projects under the PRASAD scheme, and the renaming of public places and infrastructure to reflect historical and cultural identities.

The central government has consistently sought to integrate heritage conservation into mainstream development planning, arguing that India's civilisational legacy is an asset rather than an obstacle to modernisation. This framing has appeared across ministerial communications, budget speeches, and flagship scheme documents over the past decade.

Stakeholders and Impact

The cultural renaissance narrative directly concerns Indian citizens, heritage conservation bodies, tourism stakeholders, and communities whose local identities are tied to historically significant sites. For a minister overseeing ports and waterways, the framing also carries relevance to coastal and riverine heritage — a segment where infrastructure development and archaeological or cultural preservation frequently intersect.

Civil society groups focused on heritage protection have at various points engaged with government schemes under this umbrella, while critics have raised questions about the boundaries between cultural revival and political rebranding of public assets. The government's position, as reflected in Sonowal's post, is that the two goals are inseparable.

What's Next

The anniversary marker suggests that BJP leaders across portfolios are likely to amplify the Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi theme in the coming days, potentially linking it to upcoming policy announcements or parliamentary proceedings during the 2026 budget session. For Sonowal specifically, any follow-up statements connecting port development or coastal infrastructure to heritage objectives would extend the slogan into his own ministerial domain. The twelve-year framing positions the philosophy not as a campaign promise but as a demonstrated, ongoing governing principle.