Rs 12.68 crore allotted for Taj preservation

New Delhi : An amount of Rs 12.68 crore was set aside for conservation, preservation and environmental development works at the Taj Mahal in the last three years, Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The expenditure incurred by the government from 2017-18 on the monument's conservation, preservation and environmental development was around Rs 4.12 crore.

In the previous two years, close to Rs 3.6 crore (2015-16) and Rs 4.6 crore (2016-17) have been spent by the government, Sharma said.

"The essential conservation, preservation and environmental development work at Taj Mahal is attended regularly to keep the monument in good condition," a statement by the Ministry of Culture said.

The information was given by Sharma in reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha.

The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed both the Central and Uttar Pradesh governments for the neglect of Taj Mahal, wondering what will happen if Unesco withdrew the historic monument's world heritage title.