Lok Sabha Question No. 111 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-06
Subject: Schemes for Preservation and Promotion of Folk Arts
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Hema Malini

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 111

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

## SCHEMES FOR PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION OF FOLK ARTS

## † *111.  SHRIMATI HEMA MALINI:

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

- (a) whether schemes are being implemented by the Government for the preservation and  promotion  of  various  folk  arts  of  the  country  like  folk  dance  etc.  under  the preservation and promotion of culture;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the details  of  the  expenditure  incurred  under  these  schemes  during  the  last  five years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF CULTURE, TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION (SHRI G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) to (c) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (c)  OF  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 111 FOR 6 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

(a)  to  (c)        Yes,  Sir.  To  protect,  promote  and  preserve  various  forms  of  folk  art  and culture  including  folk  dance  &  music  throughout the  country,  the  Government  of  India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs). These ZCCs organize various cultural activities and programmes on regular basis in the country for which annual grant-in-aid is provided to them. The grant-in-aid provided to these ZCCs during the last five years is as under:

(Rs. in lakh)

| Sl. No.   | Year    |   Amount |
|-----------|---------|----------|
| i.        | 2016-17 |  6085.07 |
| ii.       | 2017-18 |  4689.71 |
| iii.      | 2018-19 |  5952.69 |
| iv.       | 2019-20 |  5732.95 |
| v.        | 2020-21 |  4009.38 |

Besides,  Rashtriya  Sanskriti  Mahotsavs  (RSMs)  are  also  conducted  through these  ZCCs  where  a  large  number  of  artists  from  all  over  India  are  engaged  to showcase their talents. From November, 2015 onwards, eleven (11) RSMs at 20 places in various States have been organized by Ministry of Culture in the country.

Further, for preservation and promotion of various folk arts of the country, these ZCCs also implement a number of schemes viz. Award to Young Talented Artists, Guru Shishya  Parampara,  Theatre  Rejuvenation,  Research  &  Documentation,  Shilpgram, OCTAVE  and  National  Cultural  Exchange  Programme,  brief  details  of  which  are  at Annexure-I .  The details of expenditure incurred by all the ZCCs under these schemes during the last five (5) years are as under:

| Sl. No.   | Name of the Scheme                   | Expenditure (Rs. in lakh)   | Expenditure (Rs. in lakh)   | Expenditure (Rs. in lakh)   | Expenditure (Rs. in lakh)   | Expenditure (Rs. in lakh)   |
|-----------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | Name of the Scheme                   | 2016-17                     | 2017-18                     | 2018-19                     | 2019-20                     | 2020-21                     |
| 1.        | Award to Young Talented Artistes     | 49.07                       | 24.94                       | 6.80                        | 17.67                       | 5.22                        |
| 2.        | Guru Shishya Parampara               | 117.13                      | 66.19                       | 169.13                      | 110.86                      | 116.82                      |
| 3.        | Theatre Rejuvenation                 | 207.61                      | 183.95                      | 202.78                      | 143.51                      | 55.66                       |
| 4.        | Research & Documentation             | 171.47                      | 58.85                       | 100.44                      | 83.82                       | 101.59                      |
| 5.        | Shilpgram                            | 347.06                      | 348.88                      | 384.04                      | 330.60                      | 367.80                      |
| 6.        | Octave                               | 476.94                      | 289.50                      | 470.69                      | 520.33                      | 11.47                       |
| 7.        | National Cultural Exchange Programme | 2973.21                     | 6141.69                     | 3826.88                     | 3085.85                     | 1694.07                     |

Ministry of Culture also administers the following financial assistance schemes to promote and develop the national and regional cultures of the country, including folk art, dance & music:

- i. Repertory Grant
- ii. Financial Assistance to Cultural Organizations with National Presence
- iii. Cultural Function Production Grant
- iv. Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas
- v. Financial assistance for Building Grant including Studio Theatres
- vi. Scheme for Financial assistance for Tagore Cultural Complexes
- vii.  Senior/ Junior Fellowships to Outstanding Persons in the Fields of Culture
- viii. Scholarship to Young Artists in Different Cultural Fields
- ix. Tagore National Fellowship
- x. Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artists

Brief details of the aforesaid schemes and their components are at Annexure-II . Details  of  funds  released  under  the  aforesaid  schemes  for  the  last  five  years  are  as under:

## (Rs. in lakh)

|   Sl. No. | Name of the Scheme                                                         |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |
|-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
|         1 | Repertory Grant                                                            |   4013.28 |   4189.08 |   3347.37 |   3995.75 |   3480.15 |
|         2 | Financial Assistance to Cultural Organizations with National Presence      |    837.46 |    998.94 |   1112    |    701.03 |    930.46 |
|         3 | Cultural Function Production Grant                                         |   1926.26 |   3183.93 |   3282    |   1199    |   1651.9  |
|         4 | Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas         |    109.77 |    259.48 |    238.58 |    229.95 |    336    |
|         5 | Financial assistance for Building Grant including Studio Theatres          |     76.05 |    221.67 |    315.91 |    273.47 |    193.47 |
|         6 | Scheme for Financial assistance for Tagore Cultural Complexes              |   1525.04 |   1815.5  |    361.92 |   1757.07 |    596.43 |
|         7 | Senior/ Junior Fellowships to Outstanding Persons in the Fields of Culture |    862.2  |    876.6  |    992    |    832.2  |    888.6  |
|         8 | Scholarship to Young Artists in Different Cultural Fields                  |    283.8  |    159    |    345.3  |    325.8  |    379.5  |
|         9 | Tagore National Fellowship                                                 |     30.05 |     35.34 |     34.61 |     20.73 |     28.25 |
|        10 | Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artists                              |   1317    |   1530    |   1973.59 |   1817.6  |    871.31 |

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 111 for 06.12.2021

## Schemes being implemented by Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs)

- i. Award to Young Talented Artistes: The Scheme 'Young Talented Artists' is carried out to encourage and recognize the young talents especially in the field of rare art forms. Talented  youngsters  of  the  age  group  of  18-30  years  are  selected  and  given  a  onetime cash award of Rs. 10,000/-.
- ii. Guru Shishya Parampara: This scheme envisages transmitting our valued traditions to the coming generations. Disciples are trained under veterans in art forms which are rare and  vanishing.  Rare  and  vanishing  art  forms  of  the  region  are  identified  and  eminent exponents  are  selected  to  carry  out  the  training  programmes  in  'Gurukula'  tradition.  The monthly remuneration for Guru - Rs. 7,500/-, Accompanist - Rs. 3,750/- and Pupils - Rs. 1,500/- each for the period of six month to maximum 1 year for one scheme. The names of the Gurus are recommended by the State Culture Departments.
- iii. Theatre  Rejuvenation: To  promote  theatre  activities  including  stage  shows  and Production oriented workshops, etc., Honorarium up to Rs. 30,000/- per show excluding TA & DA is paid. The groups are finalized on the basis of their credentials as well as the merit of projects submitted by them.
- iv. Research & Documentation: To preserve, promote and propagate vanishing visual and performing art forms,  including  folk,  tribal  and  classical  in  the  fields  of  music,  dance, theatre,  literature,  fine  arts  etc.  in  print/  audio  -  visual  media.  The  art  form  is  finalized  in consultation with State Culture Departments.
- v. Shilpgram: To  promote  folk  and  tribal  art  and  crafts  of  the  zone  by  organizing seminar, workshops, exhibitions, craft fairs, design development and marketing support to the artisans living in the rural areas.
- vi. Octave: To  promote  and  propagate the rich cultural heritage of North East region comprising  of  eight  States  namely  Arunachal  Pradesh,  Assam,  Meghalaya,  Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur and Tripura, to the rest of India.
- vii. National  Cultural  Exchange  Programme: It  can  be  termed  as  the  lifeline  of  the Zonal Cultural Centers. Under this scheme, 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.  Participation  of  artists  from  the  zone  in  festivals  held  in other parts of the country are also facilitated. Zonal centres also participate in major festivals happening in member States by arranging performances during these festivals where large number of audience get chance to enjoy and understand art forms of other regions. These festivals provide opportunity to understand various cultures of our country.

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 111 for 06.12.2021

## Brief of schemes administered by Performing Arts Bureau

1. SCHEME  OF  FINANCIAL  ASSISTANCE  FOR  PROMOTION  OF  ART  AND CULTURE: The  scheme  consists  of  five  components.  The  names  and  details  of  the scheme components are as given below:

## i. Repertory Grant

The objective of Repertory Grant Scheme Component is to provide financial support for  all  genres  of  performing  arts  activities  like  dramatic  groups,  theatre  groups,  music ensembles, children theatre etc. and imparting training of artists by their respective Guru on regular basis in line with Guru-Shishya Parampara. As per the scheme, support is provided to  1  Guru  and  maximum  18  Shishyas  in  theatre  and  1  Guru  &  10  Shishyas  in  music  & dance.

Amount of Assistance - Guru Rs.10000/- p.m. , Shishya - Rs.1000-6000/-p.m.

## ii.  Cultural organizations with National Presence

The objective of this scheme component is to provide support for cultural activities at Large scale National / International level. The Quantum of assistance under this scheme is up to Rs. 5 Cr.

## iii.  Cultural Function & Production Grant (CFPG)

The  objective  of  this  scheme  component  is  to  provide  financial  support  to  NGOs/ Societies/  Trusts/  Universities  etc.  for  Seminars,  Conference,  Research,  Workshops, Festivals,  Exhibitions,  Symposia,  Production  of  Dance,  Drama-Theatre,  Music  etc.    The maximum  grants  provided  under  CFPG  is  Rs.5  Lakh  (Rs.  20  Lakh  under  exceptional circumstances)

## iv.  Financial Assistance for the Preservation & Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas*

The  objective  of  this  scheme  component  is  to  promote  and  preserve  the  cultural heritage of the Himalayas through research, training and dissemination through audio visual programmes.  The  financial  support  is  provided  to  the  organizations  in  the  States  falling under  the  Himalayan  Region  i.e.  Jammu  &  Kashmir,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.  The quantum of funding is Rs. 10.00 lakhs per year for an organization which can be increased to Rs. 30.00 lakhs in exceptional cases.

## *In  case  of  North  Eastern  States,  90%  of  the  project  cost  is  financed  by  the Government.

## 2. SCHEME  OF  FINANCIAL  ASSISTANCE  FOR  CREATION  OF  CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE:

## i. Financial Assistance for Building Grants including Studio Theatres *

The  objective  of  the  Building  Grant  Scheme  component  is  to  provide  financial support to NGOs, Trusts, Societies, Govt. Sponsored bodies, Universities, Colleges etc.  for creation of Cultural infrastructure (i.e. studio theatre, auditorium, rehearsal hall, classroom etc.)  and  provision  of  facilities  like  electrical,  air  conditioning,  acoustics,  light  and  sound systems etc.  Under this scheme component, the maximum amount of grant is up to Rs.50 Lakh in metro cities and up to Rs.25 Lakh in non- metro cities.

## ii. Financial Assistance for Tagore Cultural Complexes (TCC) *

The  aim  of  the  scheme  component  is  to  provide  financial  support  to  NGO,  Trust, Societies, Govt. Sponsored  bodies,  State/ UT  Govt.  University, Central/State Govt. agencies/bodies, Municipal Corporations, reputed not-for-profit organizations etc. for creation of new large Cultural Spaces such as Auditorium with facilities and infrastructure for stage performances (dance, drama and music), exhibitions, seminars, literary activities, green  rooms,  etc.    The  Scheme  component  also  provides  support  for  restoration, renovation,  extension,  alteration,  up-gradation,  modernization  of  existing  cultural  facilities (Rabindra  Bhawans,  Rangshalas,  Multipurpose  Cultural  Complexes)  etc.    Under  this scheme  component,  grant  of  up  to  Rs.  15  Crore  (Rs.  50  Crore  under  exceptional Circumstances) is admissible which is 60% of the project cost.

## 3. SCHEME  OF  SCHOLARSHIP  AND  FELLOWSHIP  FOR  PROMOTION  OF  ART AND CULTURE:

## i. Scheme for the  Award of Fellowship to Outstanding Persons  in  the Field  of Culture

Upto 400 fellowships (200 Junior and 200 Senior) are awarded in a batch year to outstanding persons in the age group of 25 to 40 years (Jr.) and above 40 years (Sr.) in different cultural fields @ of Rs. 10,000/- p.m. and 20,000/-p.m. for the period of 2 years for cultural  research.  The  fellowship  is  released  in  four  equal  six  monthly  installments  on receipt of requisite research reports/ documents from the fellows.

## ii. Scheme for Scholarships to Young Artistes in Different Cultural Fields

Upto  400  Scholarships  are  awarded  in  a  batch  year.  Under  this  scheme  financial assistance is given to young artistes of outstanding promise in the age group of 18-25 years for  advanced  training  within  India  in  the  field  of  Indian  Classical  Music,  Indian  Classical Dance, Theatre, Mime, Visual art, Folk, Traditional and Indigenous Arts and Light Classical Music  etc.  @  Rs.  5,000/-  p.m.  for  2  years.  The  scholarship  is  released  in  four  equal  six monthly instalments on receipt of requisite research reports/ documents from the Scholars.

## *In  case  of  North  Eastern  States,  90%  of  the  project  cost  is  financed  by  the Government.

## iii. Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research

The purpose of the Scheme Component is to invigorate and revitalize the various institutions under the Ministry of Culture (MoC) and other identified cultural institutions in the country, by encouraging scholars/ academicians to affiliate themselves with these institutions to work on projects of mutual interest. Upto 15 Fellowships (Rs.80,000/- p.m. + Contingency Allowance) and 25 Scholarships (Rs.50,000/- p.m. + Contingency Allowance) for a maximum period of 2 Years.

## 4. SCHEME FOR PENSION AND MEDICAL AID TO ARTISTES:

The objectives of this Scheme is to provide a pension of Rs.4.000/- p.m. to the old artistes and scholars (not less than the age of 60 years and annual income not exceeding Rs.48,000/- p.a.) who have contributed significantly in their specialized fields of arts, letters etc.  but    are  now  living  in  penury  condition.    The  Scheme  has  also  provision  to  provide medical  aid  facility  to  these  Artistes  and  his/her  spouse  by  covering  them  under  a convenient  and  affordable  Health  Insurance  Scheme  of  the  Government.  In  the  event  of death of the beneficiary, the financial assistance is transferred to his/her spouse.

*****