Lok Sabha Question No. 179 (STARRED), answered on 2022-12-19
Subject: Financial Assistance to Veteran Artists
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Achyutananda Samanta

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 179

ANSWERED ON 19.12.2022

## FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO VETERAN ARTISTS

## *179. SHRI ACHYUTANANDA SAMANTA:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:-

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  steps  to  provide  financial  assistance  to  veteran artists of the country and if so, the number of artists receiving the financial assistance and the amount of pension received during the last three years, State-wise;
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  several  veteran  artists  of  the  country  have  not received their monthly pension amounts for the past several months;
- (c) if so, whether the Government will consider expediting the payment of pending   pension to all the artists;
- (d) whether the Government has entrusted the Life Insurance Corporation of India to disburse the financial assistance to artists; and
- (e) whether the Government has reviewed its performance and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

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

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## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  to  (e)  of  LOK  SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 179 FOR 19 TH  DECEMBER, 2022

- (a)  Yes Sir. The Ministry of Culture administers a Scheme by the name of 'Financial Assistance for  Veteran  Artists'  (erstwhile  'Scheme  for  Pension  and  Medical  Aid  to  Artistes')  to  provide financial assistance to veteran artists of the country of the age of 60 years and above in the form of monthly artists pension. State-wise number of Artists and amount of pension received by them during the last three financial years under the scheme is Annexed .
- (b)  Yes Sir, It has been the endeavor of the Government to make continuous efforts to ensure that pension  to  the  beneficiaries  is  disbursed  in  a  timely  manner.  However,  the  disbursement  of financial assistance to the recommended artists is subject to submission of requisite documents by the beneficiaries selected under the Scheme such as Digital Life Certificate, Income Certificates etc.  Non-submission  of  requisite  documents  from  the  selected  beneficiaries  in  time,  results  in delay in disbursal of pension to them.
- (c)    Once  all  requisite  documents  are  received  from  the  beneficiaries,  all  efforts  are  made  to process  the  disbursement  of  pension  expeditiously.  As  release  of  artist  pension  is  an  ongoing process, action is being taken continuously to release the pending payments as and when requisite documents are received from the beneficiaries.
- (d)  Yes Sir. Ministry of Culture has entrusted the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) vide an MoU in 2009 for disbursing the monthly artists pension to selected beneficiaries prior to the year 2017.
- (e)  The performance of LIC is reviewed from time to time and advisories are issued to them for timely  disbursal  of  artists  beneficiaries  upon  receipt  of  requisite  documents  from  them  and  to submit a quarterly report in this regard.  To cut down the delay in disbursal of pension to the old artists, release of artists pension to the selected beneficiaries is made by the Ministry itself upon receipt of requisite documents from them from the year 2017-18.

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## Annexure

## Annexure referred to in Reply of Part (a) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 179 for 19.12.2022

(Rs. In Lakhs)

FY - 2021-22

| Sl.   | States                                    | FY-2019-20       | FY-2019-20            | FY - 2020-21     | FY - 2020-21          | FY - 2021-22     | FY - 2021-22          |
|-------|-------------------------------------------|------------------|-----------------------|------------------|-----------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
| No.   |                                           | Amount Disbursed | No of Bene- ficiaries | Amount Disbursed | No of Bene- ficiaries | Amount Disbursed | No of Bene- ficiaries |
| 1.    | Andhra Pradesh                            | 22.16            | 54                    | 5.1              | 29                    | 72.29            | 89                    |
| 2.    | Assam                                     | 1.92             | 5                     | 0.96             | 2                     | 0.48             | 1                     |
| 3.    | Haryana                                   | 0.04             | 1                     | -                | -                     | 0.93             | 1                     |
| 4.    | Jharkhand                                 | 1.11             | 8                     | 2.28             | 8                     | 3.00             | 5                     |
| 5.    | Karnataka                                 | 30.29            | 102                   | 29.97            | 144                   | 59.55            | 146                   |
| 6.    | Kerala                                    | 13.34            | 83                    | 8.18             | 24                    | 24.49            | 57                    |
| 7.    | Madhya Pradesh                            | 5.41             | 16                    | 2.44             | 6                     | 5.04             | 12                    |
| 8.    | Maharashtra                               | 85.86            | 324                   | 106.61           | 206                   | 190.49           | 448                   |
| 9.    | Manipur                                   | 3.08             | 13                    | 3.36             | 9                     | 7.84             | 16                    |
| 10.   | Nagaland                                  | 0.04             | 1                     | 0.48             | 1                     | 0.92             | 2                     |
| 11.   | Odisha                                    | 84.04            | 238                   | 119.46           | 355                   | 276.95           | 828                   |
| 12.   | Rajasthan                                 | 0.87             | 5                     | 0.07             | 2                     | 1.23             | 2                     |
| 13.   | Tamil Nadu                                | 9.92             | 36                    | 0.87             | 6                     | 15.49            | 22                    |
| 14.   | Telangana                                 | 86.18            | 163                   | 53.2             | 86                    | 217.29           | 342                   |
| 15.   | Tripura                                   | 0.06             | 2                     | 0.24             | 1                     | 0.92             | 2                     |
| 16.   | Uttar Pradesh                             | 3.2              | 8                     | 5.12             | 9                     | 13.08            | 46                    |
| 17.   | West Bengal                               | 8.26             | 25                    | 5.09             | 37                    | 12.31            | 32                    |
|       | Total                                     | 355.82           | 1084                  | 343.46           | 925                   | 902.30           | 2051                  |
|       | Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India | 1461.78          | 2104                  | 527.85           | 1075                  | 639.87           | 978                   |
|       | G. Total                                  | 1817.60          | 3188                  | 871.31           | 2000                  | 1542.17          | 3029                  |

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