Lok Sabha Question No. 3648 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Promotion of Culture and Heritage in NER
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: S. Muniswamy

## Government of India

Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3648

To be answered on

Monday, August 8, 2022/Sravana 17, 1944 (Saka)

## QUESTION Promotion of Culture and Heritage in NER

## 3648. SHRI S. MUNISWAMY:

Will the Minister of DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has made any effort to introduce the population of the North East to the rich culture and heritage of other parts of the country through various tour programmes by utilising the special funds allotted for development of North East Region (NER);
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  there  will  be  such  a  venture  in  the  times  ahead  in  an  effort  to  give  a facelift to the purpose of the Government and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the main skills identified amongst the people of NER by the Union Government to upskill them and work in synchronisation with other States and Centre for the benefit of all?

## ANSWER The Minister of Ministry of  Development of North Eastern Region [Shri G. Kishan Reddy]

(a)  and  (b)    Yes  Sir.    The  Ministry  of  Development  of  Northern  Region  under  the 'Schemes of NEC' supports proposal which promotes the comparative strengths and potential of the North Eastern Region (NER) through various promotional activities like Road Shows, Business Summits, Conventions, Seminars, Workshops and specialized Media Campaigns etc.  'Destination  North  East'  a  comprehensive  promotional  show, showcasing the rich art and culture of NER was successfully organized in various cities in Chandigarh (2017), Delhi (2018) and Varanasi (2019) in which the artists and artisans from North East participated alongwith opportunities for B2B interaction. Further, during the Madhavpur Ghed festival held at Madhavpur in Gujarat during April 10 th -13 th  2022 along with the participation of artists and artisans from the 8 NE States, 84 persons from the State of Arunachal Pradesh also attended as part of the family of Rani Rukmini.

Further, under the National Cultural Exchange Programme (NCEP) funded by the Ministry of Culture,  Government  of India, various Festivals of performing arts, exhibitions, yatras etc are organized in member states. Artists from other zones/states are invited to participate in these programmes and get a platform for exchanging cultural ties apart from acquainting the common people with the rich diversity of Indian culture. (c)    As per the Ministry of Education, under the banner of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), 'Akam-Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat ( EBSB) has been initiated. The programme  will  facilitate  students'  visit  to  their  paired  state  and  UT  (as  per  pairing matrix of EBSB). The broad plan is  for 750 school students and 750 college students together visit their paired states on a 5-day tour (excluding travel time) in the month of June to  September  2022  during  which  they will  gain  first  hand  experience  of  various socio-cultural and other aspect of life in that state/UT.

(d)    As per the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), under the Skill India Mission, a flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) to impart skill development training to prospective youth of the country is implemented. Since inception of PMKVY i.e. 2015, as on 30.06.2022, 4.41 lakh candidates have been trained under Short Term Training (STT) and 7.25 lakh candidates have been oriented under  Recognition  of  Prior  Learning  (RPL)  in  the  North  Eastern  States.   Further, the Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  is  implementing  'Vocationalisation  of School  Education'  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  'Samagra  Shikhsha'. Under the scheme, National Skills Qualifications Framework  ( NSQF ) compliant vocational  courses  are  offered  to  the  school  students  from  class  9 th   to  12 th in  the covered  schools.  Employability  Skill  module  has  been  a  mandatory part of the vocational  courses  which  consists  of  Communication  Skill,  Self-Management  Skills, Information  &  Communication  Technology    Skills,  Entrepreneurship  Skills  and  Green Skills.

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