Faced with shortage of manpower to handle conservation work in the 24 circles of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Union culture ministry has decided to outsource the conservation of protected monuments of national importance. Interestingly, one of the reasons cited by the ministry for the shortage of manpower in the ASI is the national conservation body's involvement in works abroad as part of the bilateral agreements. "In addition to implementing its annual programmes, the ASI has to honour requests from state governments to carry out conservation works in state-protected monuments and also take up such works abroad as part of the bilateral agreements,' Union minister for culture and tourism Ambika Soni informed Parliament recently.