Lok Sabha Question No. 246 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-21
Subject: Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of Himalayas
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Rajveer (Raju Bhaiya) Singh, Bhola Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 246

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 21 ST  MARCH, 2022

## PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HIMALAYAS

## *246  SHRI RAJVEER SINGH (RAJU BHAIYA): SHRI BHOLA SINGH:

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

- (a) whether the Government is implementing the Scheme of Financial Assistance for preservation and development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayan region;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the number of proposals received from the Himalayan States during the last three years;
- (d) the details of the  new  programmes  prepared  for the preservation and development of cultural heritage of the Himalayan States during the said period; and
- (e) the  amount  released to  the  State  Governments  and  Non-Governmental Organizations for this purpose during the said period, State-wise?

## 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.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 246 FOR 21 ST  MARCH, 2022

(a) & (b) Yes Sir. Ministry of Culture implements a financial grant scheme known as Scheme of Financial Assistance for the Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas for the purpose of promoting, protecting and preserving the cultural  heritage  of  Himalayan  region  spreading  in  Union  Territory  of  Jammu  and Kashmir,  Union  Territory  of  Ladakh,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttrakhand,  Sikkim  and Arunachal Pradesh through research, documentation, dissemination, etc.. Under this scheme,  financial  assistance  is  provided  to  the  Voluntary  Organizations  including Colleges and Universities for study and research on cultural heritage, Preservation of old manuscripts, literature, art & crafts and documentation of cultural activities/ events like music & dance,  dissemination through audio-visual programmes of art and culture and training in traditional and folk art. The quantum of funding is Rs.10.00 lakhs per year for an organization.  The Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) on the scheme is empowered to recommend the amount beyond the maximum limit but not exceeding Rs.30.00 lakhs from this scheme. Complete details of this Scheme are Annexed .

(c) The number of proposals received from the Himalayan States during the last three  years  under  the  Scheme  of  Financial  Assistance  for  the  Preservation  and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas are given as under:

| Year    |   No. of Proposals received |
|---------|-----------------------------|
| 2018-19 |                         130 |
| 2019-20 |                         131 |
| 2020-21 |                         156 |

(d) & (e) The Scheme  of Financial Assistance for the Preservation and Development  of  Cultural  Heritage  of  the  Himalayas  is  a  financial  grant  Scheme administered by the Ministry of Culture specifically for preservation and development of Cultural heritage of the Himalayan States/Union Territories including Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Union Territory of Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The said scheme is a Central Sector Scheme and no funds are released directly to the State Governments. However, the details of Statewise funds released to the Non-Governmental Organizations under the scheme of Financial Assistance for the Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas during the last 3 years and current year are given as under:

| S. No.   | State                   | Year Wise Fund Released (Rs. In Lakhs)   | Year Wise Fund Released (Rs. In Lakhs)   | Year Wise Fund Released (Rs. In Lakhs)   | Year Wise Fund Released (Rs. In Lakhs)   |
|----------|-------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| S. No.   | State                   | 2018-19                                  | 2019-20                                  | 2020-21                                  | 2021-22 ( As on 14.3.2022)               |
| 1.       | Arunachal Pradesh       | 69,00,000/-                              | 63,12,000/-                              | 98,25,000/-                              | 1,03,50,000/-                            |
| 2.       | Sikkim                  | 7,50,000/-                               | --                                       | 26,50,000/-                              | 16,50,000/-                              |
| 3.       | Himachal Pradesh        | 46,58,500/-                              | 55,67,000/-                              | 69,00,000/-                              | 90,25,000/-                              |
| 4.       | UT of Jammu and Kashmir | 31,24,875/-                              | 25,71,312/-                              | 21,50,000/-                              | 73,25,000/-                              |
| 5.       | UT of Ladakh            | 7,00,000/-                               | 12,00,000/-                              | 24,50,000/-                              | 18,00,000/-                              |
| 6.       | Uttrakhand              | 77,25,000/-                              | 73,45,000/-                              | 96,25,000/-                              | 1,71,97,640/-                            |
|          | Total                   | 2,38,58,375/ -                           | 2,29,95,312/-                            | 3,36,00,000/-                            | 4,73,47,640/-                            |

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 246 for 21.03.2022

## SCHEME OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE HIMALAYAS

1. Objective : The objective of the scheme is to promote, protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the Himalayan region spreading in Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir,  Union  Territory  of  Ladakh  Himachal  Pradesh,  Uttrakhand,  Sikkim  and Arunachal Pradesh through research, documentation, dissemination, etc.

## 2.  Criteria for Grants :

- i. The voluntary organization should be registered as a society under the societies Registration Act 1860 or as a public trust under Indian Trust Act, 1882 and shall have been functioning for a period of three years.
- ii. The Colleges and Universities are also eligible to apply.
- iii. The organisation should have the capacity to undertake and promote research projects. It  should  have facilities,  resources and personnel to implement the scheme for which the grant is required.
- iv. The Colleges and Universities should introduce in their curricula or research course aspects of studies relating to preservation of Himalayan art and culture, in case not already done.
- v. A college applying for the grant should be affiliated to the University.
- vi. The grants will be ad-hoc and of non-recurring nature.
- vii. Grants from this scheme will be given only to those organizations which are not in receipt of grants from any other source for similar purposes.
- viii. Organizations which are doing good work in the field and having   resources for meeting matching funds will be given preference.
3.  Purpose & quantum of assistance : The financial assistance is given for any of the items listed below up to a maximum of Rs.10.00 lakhs to any single organisation:
10. 3.1      The maximum grant admissible to an organization would be 75% of the total expenditure  to  be  incurred  on  any  item  subject  to  maximum  ceiling  fixed.  The remaining  25%  expenditure  or  more  should  be  met  by  the  State  Govt./U.T. Administration failing which the grantee organization could contribute the amount from their own resources. However, in the case of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, funding will be shared between the Government of India and the organization in the ratio of 90:10 respectively.

| Sl. No.   | Items                                                                                                                              | Maximum amount per annum   |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------|
| i.        | Study and research on cultural heritage                                                                                            | Rs.10.00 lakhs             |
| ii.       | Preservation of old manuscripts, literature, art & crafts and documentation of cultural activities/ events like music, dance, etc. | Rs.10.00 lakhs             |
| iii.      | Dissemination through audio-visual programmes of art and culture                                                                   | Rs.10.00 lakhs             |
| iv.       | Training in Traditional and Folk Art                                                                                               | Rs.10.00 lakhs             |

## 4.  Procedure for application :

4.1        The  organization/individual  shall  submit  complete  application  alongwith  the following documents/information to judge the eligibility of the organization through the State Government, where the project is proposed to be implemented, to the Ministry of Culture.  The organisations, however, located in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh & Leh and  Kargil  Districts  of  Union  Territory  of  Ladakh  are  exempted  to  submit  their applications direct to Ministry of Culture only with the recommendation of concerned District Collector/Dy. Commissioner.  The Universities and Colleges shall forward their applications through the U.G.C to Ministry of Culture.

| Sl. No.   | Documents/ Information                                                                                                                                                                           |
|-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| i.        | Copy of the valid Registration Certificate clearly showing the validity of the Registration. The copy of the Registration Certificate will be duly certified by a Gazetted Officer.              |
| ii.       | Copy of Memorandum of Association                                                                                                                                                                |
| iii.      | Copies of Audited Accounts for last three years.                                                                                                                                                 |
| iv.       | Copies of Annual Report for last three years supported by documentary evidence of Achievements.                                                                                                  |
| v.        | Write-up on the activity to be undertaken alongwith detailed break-up of the cost estimate, funds requirement from the Govt., other sources of funding, completion schedule of the project, etc. |
| vi.       | Brief profile in case of research personnel.                                                                                                                                                     |

4.2 Recommendation : The  State Governments/District Collector/  Deputy Commissioner/UGC while recommending the proposal will:

- i. Verify the Registration status of the organisation.
- ii. Certify that the voluntary organisation is capable of undertaking such projects.
- iii. Certify that project on the title/area proposed to be undertaken has not been undertaken in the past and it is a new project.
- iv. Recommend the activity/activities and the amount thereto.

## 5.       Mode of and Conditions for Release of Grants:

- a. The grant shall be given based on the appraisal of applications and recommendation by the Expert Advisory Committee and thereafter administrative approval and financial concurrence of competent authorities in the Ministry of Culture.
- b. The Grants will be paid in two equal installments, the first being normally released with the  approval of  the project.  The  second  installment  will  be  released  on completion  of  project  and  on  receipt  of  duly  audited  statement  of  accounts showing  the  utilization  of  the  entire  amount  of  grant  plus  the  share  of  the grantee/concerned State/U.T. Government and other documents.  The release of the balance of grant will be decided on the basis of the actual expenditure incurred on the project subject to the maximum limit.
- c. An organization in receipt of financial assistance under the scheme shall be open to inspection by an officer of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India or the State Government concerned.
- d. The accounts of the project  shall  be  maintained  properly  and  separately  and submitted to the Government of India as and when required and will be subject to check by an officer of the Central Government or the State Government or by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India at his discretion.

## e. The grantee shall maintain:-

- i. Subsidiary accounts of the grants-in-aid received from the Government.
- ii. Cash book Register in hand written bound books duly machine numbered.
- iii. Grant-in-aid  Register  for  the  grant  received  from  the  Government  and other agencies.
- iv. Separate  ledgers  for  each  item  of  expenditure  like  construction  of  civil work, etc.
- f. The  organization  shall  maintain  a  record  of  all  assets  acquired  wholly  or substantially out  of the  Central Government grant and shall not dispose of or encumber or utilize for purposes other than those for which the grant was given without prior approval of the Government of India.
- g. If at any time, the Government of India has reason to believe that the sanctioned money is not being utilized for approved purposes, the payment of grant may be stopped and the earlier grants recovered.
- h. The  organization  must  exercise  reasonable  economy  in  the  working  of  the approved project.
- i. The  grantee  organization  shall  furnish  to  the  Ministry  of  Culture  a  quarterly progress report of the project indicating in detail both the physical achievements and the expenditure incurred on each of the approved items separately.
- j. The grantee shall submit three copies of the Project Report duly bound/AudioVideo CDs/Photographs to the Ministry of Culture and one copy to the State Government where the project has been undertaken.
- k. Applications  of  the  organisations  against  which  previous  grant/  Utilisation certificate is pending will not be considered.

## 6.   Mode of Payment :

All payments will be made through electronic transfers.

## 7.   Outcome of the Scheme :

A  Performance-cum-achievement  Report  on  the  activity  undertaken  will  be submitted  in  triplicate,  duly  bound,  at  the  time  of  seeking  final  instalment  to  the Ministry. It should include, inter-alia, an Executive Summary of the Project Report, no. of beneficiary, location of project, etc as per the following format:

## Scheme of Financial Assistance for the Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas

## Performance-cum-achievement Report

Project Title: ………………

| i.    | Name, address, Tel/Fax of the organisation                                                      |
|-------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ii.   | Sanction No. and date                                                                           |
| iii.  | Total grant sanctioned/total expenditure incurred                                               |
| iv.   | Location of the Project                                                                         |
| v.    | No. of beneficiaries                                                                            |
| vi.   | Performance-cum-Achievement                                                                     |
| vii.  | How it will help to promote, protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the Himalayan region |
| viii. | Any other point                                                                                 |

## 8.  Incomplete applications:

Incomplete  applications  not  supported  by  the  required  documents  and applications received without recommendation of the prescribed authority will not be considered and summarily rejected.

## 9.      Special Provision:

The Expert Advisory Committee on the scheme is empowered to recommend or  reject  any  proposal  received  without  or  with  the  recommendation  of  State Government/ Local Administration and also to recommend the amount beyond the maximum limit but not exceeding Rs. 30.00 lakhs from this scheme, in respect of any proposal which is of outstanding merit for which the EAC feels that the maximum limit would not be sufficient for undertaking the said project with the approval of Minister (Culture) and concurrence of AS & FA , Ministry of Culture.

## 10.      Inspection and Monitoring:

Inspection would be carried out by Ministry officials every year at least in 5% of the cases.  The concerned State Govt., District Collector/Dy. Commissioner will also monitor.

## 11.    Penalties in case of misutilisation of Grants:

The members of the executive body of the  organisation  would  be  liable  for recovery of misused grants.  The organisation will also be blacklisted for misuse of funds,  fake  registration  certificate,  etc.    All  immovable  assets  created  from  the Government grants would be taken over by local  administration prescribed by the Ministry of Culture.