Lok Sabha Question No. 3408 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-09
Subject: Funds Spent in Kerala under National Culture Fund
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Hibi Eden

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3408 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09 th  August, 2021

## FUNDS SPENT IN KERALA UNDER NATIONAL CULTURE FUND

## 3408.      SHRI HIBI EDEN

## Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has set up National Culture Fund (NCF) and if so, the details along with the composition thereof and the guidelines for fund allocation;
- (b) the aims and objectives of the NCF and the extent to which it has been successful/helpful in protecting, promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of the country;
- (c) the funds spent so far in the state of Kerala since its inception along with the funds allocated and expenditure incurred there from by various institutions/ departments during the last two years and the details of the unspent funds and the reasons for the same; and
- (d) whether the Government will take initiative to restart Kochi - Muziris biennale and if so, the details thereof and if not, the ingredients of an application seeking fund allocation from NCF and the steps for the allotment of funds?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

## (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a)   The Government of India has set up National Culture Fund (NCF) as a Trust under the Charitable Endowment  Act, 1890 through a Gazette Notification published in the Gazette of India on 28 th November, 1996. NCF is managed by a (Governing) Council and an Executive Committee. The Council is chaired by the Union Minister of Culture and has a maximum strength of 24, representing various fields including corporate sector, private foundations and not-for-profit voluntary organizations.

NCF  does  not  receive  yearly  funds  from  the  Ministry.  Instead,  there  is  a corpus fund released to it till 2009 amounting to Rs. 19.5 crores. Administrative  expenses  of  NCF  are  met  from  the  interest  earned  on  the corpus  fund  and  service  charge  levied  on  the  projects.  The  Fund  enables institutions and individuals to support arts and culture directly as partners with government  and  serves  as  a  funding  mechanism  distinct  from  the  existing sources and patterns of funding for the arts and culture in India.

(b)  The  aim  of  National  Culture  Fund  (NCF)  is  to  establish  and  nurture partnerships  in  the  field  of  Culture  and  Heritage  between  private  and  public sectors, government, non-government  agencies, private institutions and foundations and mobilize resources for the restoration, conservation, protection  and  development  of  India's  rich,  natural,  tangible  and  intangible heritage.

The following are some of the major objectives of NCF:

- i) to  administer  and  apply  the  Fund  for  conservation,  maintenance, promotion, protection, preservation and up gradation of monuments protected or otherwise;
2. ii) for  the  training  and  development  of  a  cadre  of  specialists  and cultural administrators
3. iii) for innovations and experiments in arts
4. iv)  for documentation of cultural expressions and forms that have lost their  relevance in contemporary scenario and are either fading out or facing extinction.

The  National  Culture  Fund  has  so  far  completed  48  projects  and  33  are ongoing which have been helpful in protecting, promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of the country.

(c) The details of projects completed in the state of Kerala since the inception of NCF are annexed as Annexure .

(d) NCF was involved in a project with Kochi     Biennal Foundation for the printing costs of the 'Kochi Muziris Biennale 2012 Catalogue' funded by Nirlon Foundation  Trust.  No  proposal  seeking  fund  allocation  for  restart  of  KochiMuziris biennale is under consideration.

## Annexure

Annexure referred in  part (c)  of  Lok  Sabha unstarred  Question No.3408  for Reply on 09.08.2021 regarding Funds Spent in Kerala under National Culture Fund

The details of projects completed in the state of Kerala since the inception of NCF are:

|   S. No. | Project and Donor                                           |   Year |   Amount (Rs. in lakhs) |   Expenditure (Rs. In lakhs) | Unspent   |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------|------------------------------|-----------|
|        1 | Synagogue Clock Tower, Cochin, Kerala (World Monument Fund) |   2001 |                   15.51 |                        15.51 | -         |
|        2 | Natanakairali (National Culture Fund)                       |   2013 |                   10    |                        10    | -         |
|        3 | Kochi Muziris Biennale 2012 Catalogue (Nirlon Foundation)   |   2014 |                   18.58 |                        18.58 | -         |