New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said his daughter was his inspiration to try and improve the preservation of historical monuments.

Speaking at the Central Advisory Board of Archaeology, Manmohan Singh said his daughter Upinder Singh was highly impressed with the US' management of historical sites.

'I was in Washington recently. I didn't have time, but my daugther went around and visited the Library of Congress. Coming back, she told me, 'Daddy, I have some ideas'. She said that Americans do not have historical sites like we do, but the way they have preserved them is very good,' he said.

Upinder Singh, a professor in histry at the Delhi University, was recently named one of the winners of Infosys Prize for social science.

Earlier, in his remarks Manmohan Singh said that during the cabinet formation, he had specifically asked for the culture ministry.

'This is one department that I would like to keep with me,' he said.