Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Kashi intends to steal the show offering its famous 'Banarsi paan' and 'malaiyo' (a sweet dish made of milk cream) along with other unique features at the launching ceremony of the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on January 21.

HRIDAYA, also lauded by the United Nations' Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), will be launched by Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu. The scheme covers 12 heritage cities including Varanasi Amritsar, Ajmer, Mathura, Gaya, Kanchipuram, Vellankanni, Puri, Dwaraka, Badami, Warrangal, and Amravati.

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"Through power pint presentation we will highlight the tangible and intangible heritage of the city," said Shyamlal Singh of Planners India adding that the detailed project reports (DPRs) of various components for conservation and development of city's heritage are being prepared. A fund of Rs. 80 crore has already been allocated for Varanasi.

A national-level city stakeholder consultation was organised in New Delhi in December last to finalize guidelines for HRIDYA scheme. The meeting, chaired by Naidu was attended by municipal commissioners, district magistrates and other representatives of the Heritage Cities. Other participants included representatives of institutions and organizations like INTACH, UNESCO, CEPT University, Indian Heritage Cities Network, India City Walks and Cities Alliance.

It was emphasized that the future development of any city must take into consideration its nature, history, and culture, thus capturing its unique heritage. Four thrust areas, including physical infrastructure, institutional infrastructure, economic infrastructure and social infrastructure were elaborated for holistic development of the cities.

The participants had agreed that the HRIDAY should focus on engagement with the entire city ecosystem including citizens, tourists and local businesses. It was jointly agreed that 85% of the total outlay will be earmarked for project formulation and execution. The remaining 15% would be utilized for other critical components, such as capacity building, establishment of project management units, preparation of Heritage Management Plan (HMP), stakeholder engagement.