New Delhi, Jul 31 (IANS): The walled city of Jaipur in Rajasthan is the next proposed site for Unesco World Heritage recognition, Minister of State for Culture Mahesh Sharma told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

As per the 2017 Unesco operational guidelines for the implementation of the world heritage convention, only one site can be nominated by the state party each year, he said in a written reply.

"(The recognition) impacts the local economy by giving a boost to domestic and international tourism leading to increased employment generation, creation of world-class infrastructure and augmentation of sale of local handicrafts, handlooms and heritage memorabilia," Sharma said.

There are 37 World Heritage sites in India at present, with most under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), including the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Fatehpur Sikri and the Red Fort complex.

The most recent addition to the list was Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai, which became a World Heritage site this year. It is a collection of 19th century Victorian Neo Gothic public buildings and 20th century Art Deco buildings.