Over 4,000 ancient monuments managed by the state archeology departments will get the professional and financial help for the first time from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The union culture ministry flagged it as a priority after the prime minister expressed concern over the fate of the state monuments at the 150th anniversary celebrations of ASI and sought Rs 500 crore for the purpose from the planning commission in the 12th five-year plan that begins this year.

Dr Manmohan Singh's words that rang the bell in the ears of culture minister Kumari Selja to act upon were: "A significant part of our heritage still remains out side the purview of the ASI. The state archeology departments which are responsible for such monuments and sites need both greater professional and financial support."

An ASI official agreed that the states have a limited budget and monuments are generally their last priority unlike the ASI having own budget to maintain 3,677 national monuments on its charter. The amount sought for aiding the state governments is equal to the ASI budget of Rs 100 crore a year for conserving the national monuments.

The centre will not be taking over full funding of the state monuments as the state governments will also have to cough up an additional 25 percent of the grant to ensure that they too put in some effort. The states will be asked to submit detailed proposals for getting the grant.