The Union Budget 2026-2027, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1, introduces a National Destination Digital Knowledge Grid. This new digital platform will map cultural, spiritual, and heritage sites to protect and promote India's rich history. The initiative aims to create jobs for local researchers, historians, content creators, and tech partners. A conservation architect welcomed the idea but noted, "One of the drawbacks is that a lot of monuments and archaeological sites in India don’t have drawings. The National Monuments Authority was supposed to do that but it is still an unfinished project. Perhaps they will do 3-D laser scans which is inexpensive to do." Architect Sibghat Khan also said, "I think an intense mapping exercise like this would be very helpful in the long run, creating repositories and digital twins, but I wish that even for the documentation, local stakeholders and organisations are involved." The budget includes a pilot scheme to upskill 10,000 tourist guides at 20 iconic sites through a 12-week hybrid training course in partnership with an Indian Institute of Management. This move aims to raise the quality of guided tours, moving away from fanciful tales to authentic information. Furthermore, fifteen archaeological sites—including Dholavira, Rakhigarhi, Adichanallur, Sarnath, Hastinapur, and Leh Palace—will be developed for tourism. Ms. Sitharaman stated, "Excavated landscapes will be opened to the public through curated walkways. Immersive storytelling skills and technologies will be introduced to help conservation labs, interpretation centres, and guides." These steps integrate technology with tradition to attract tourists and preserve India's heritage for future generations.