Lok Sabha Question No. 1297 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-25
Subject: Support to Folk Art and Artists after Pandemic
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Goddeti Madhavi, Sanjeev Kumar Singari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 25 TH  JULY, 2022

## SUPPORT TO FOLK ART AND ARTISTS AFTER PANDEMIC

## 1297.  SHRIMATI GODDETI MADHAVI: DR. SANJEEV KUMAR SINGARI:

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

- (a) the steps taken by the Government to support folk art and artist during the last two years especially in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic;
- (b) whether the Government has provided any monthly assistance for sustenance of such artists;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (d) the details of number of folk artists covered under the schemes of the Ministry specifically from the State of Andhra Pradesh?

## ANSWER

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

(a) To protect, promote & support folk art and artists, the Government has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs). To improve the financial condition of folk artists during  the  COVID-19  Pandemic,  Ministry  of  Culture  took  many  initiatives  through these ZCCs to help them. A statement indicating steps taken by the Ministry in this regard is placed at Annexure .

(b) & (c) Annual  grant-in-aid  is  released  to  these  ZCCs  for  conducting  various cultural activities/ programmes on regular basis in their member States. Folk artists who  are  engaged  by  ZCCs  for  these  programmes  are  paid  honorarium,  TA/DA, boarding  &  lodging  and  local  transportation  by  them  for  showcasing  their  talents during the events. Details of grant-in-aid released to these ZCCs during the last two years are as under:-

|   Sl. No. | Year    |   Amount released (Rs. in lakh) |
|-----------|---------|---------------------------------|
|         1 | 2020-21 |                         4009.38 |
|         2 | 2021-22 |                         5881.46 |

(d) Ministry of Culture administers various schemes  under  which financial assistance  is  provided  to  individual  artists  including  folk  artists  and  also  through organizations.  The  details  of  number  of  individual  artists  including  folk  artists  and organizations who have received financial assistance under the said schemes during the last 2 years are given as under:-

| Sl. No.   | Year    |   No. of individual artists including folk artists and organizations |
|-----------|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| i.        | 2020-21 |                                                                 5619 |
| ii.       | 2021-22 |                                                                 6399 |

As regard the State of Andhra Pradesh, the number of artists including folk artists  and  organizations  who  have  received  financial  assistance  under  the  said schemes during the last 2 years is given as under:-

| Sl. No.   | Year    |   No. of individual artists including folk artists and organizations |
|-----------|---------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| i.        | 2020-21 |                                                                  101 |
| ii.       | 2021-22 |                                                                  177 |

## ANNEXURE

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 1297 for 25.07.2022

## Steps taken to help the artists during COVID Pandemic

-  In  view  of  the  Pandemic,  the  Ministry  of  Culture  issued  guidelines  in  October, 2020 to help artists/organizations who had already been sanctioned grant under various scheme components of 'Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana (KSVY)' to conduct events on virtual mode. This enabled them to avail benefits under these schemes even if they were not able to stage programs in the physical format as before and ensured continued financial assistance to tide over the present crisis.
-  All  efforts were made to release the funds to already approved grantees under various financial schemes of the Ministry of Culture. The funds released during the  first  quarter  of  F.Y.  2020-21  was  much  more  than  that  released  during  1st quarter of FY 2019-2020.
-  In  view  of  COVID-19,  under  the  scheme  of  Repertory  Grant,  exemption  was granted to organizations from mandatory inspection for release of yearly grant.
-  All help was  extended  to  the  grantees  for  completing  various  procedural formalities like compliance of mandatory EAT Module.  In respect of the scheme component of Cultural Function & Production Grant (CFPG), one-time exemption was granted to the organizations from filing the expenditure in EAT module for release  of  1 st instalment  to  the  grantees  of  43 rd and  previous  meetings  of CFPGS.
-  In  view  of  COVID-19,  under  the  Scheme  of  Scholarship  &  Fellowship  for Promotion of Art & Culture, selection of Senior Fellows for the Batch Year 201920 & mid-term and final evaluation of 06 monthly reports of earlier batches (upto Batch Year 2017-18) in respect of both Junior/Senior Fellows was held through virtual mode in view of the large number of members of the Expert Committee.
-  Under the scheme of 'Artists Pension' one time exemption was granted regarding submission of the mandatory annual income certificate by the pensioners.
-  All  the  ZCCs  encouraged  the  folk  artists  to  get  registered  with  their  member States in order to avail the schemes announced by the States.
-  During the Pandemic, the ZCCs organised 881 virtual programs which benefitted 22,070 artists & Rs 2.82 crores were distributed as honorarium.
-  South  Zone  Cultural  centre  (SZCC),  Thanjavur  in  association  with  a  Chennai based NGO Samarpana organized an online fund raising programme 'Notes of Nector-100 for 1000' participated by eminent artists from North and South. This fund  raiser initiative enabled  1200  families  of  folk artists to get financial assistance, groceries etc. during Covid-19 pandemic.

-  All  ZCCs  took  care  of  artistes  admitted  to  hospitals/nursing  homes  and  held consultations  with  doctors  to  ensure  the  best  treatment  for  them.  Vaccination Camps in collaboration with a multispecialty hospital in Kolkata was arranged by Eastern  Zonal  Cultural  Centre  (EZCC),  Kolkata  through  CSR  fund  for  their artistes.  Emergency  lifesaving  medicines/injections  required  by  some  of  the artists admitted in the hospital were arranged by ZCCs  through  Health Department of the State Governments.
-  North Eastern Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) organised virtual programmes with 7500 artists in 2020-21 to whom Rs. 70.00 lakh was paid as honorarium. In 202122, 1600 artists were benefitted and were an amount of Rs. 15.00 lakh and also expanded Guru Shisya Parampara to include 44 Gurus.
-  Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC), Kolkata supported around 12000 artists through  online  programmes  and  organized  production  oriented  workshops  for craftsmen at Shilpgram, Santiniketan to help them financially.
-  All the ZCCs organized online programmes and documented performances of the artists  and  broadcasted  the  same  on  various  social  media  platforms  like Facebook  and  YouTube.  The  artists  were  paid  remuneration  for  their  online performances.
-  Efforts  were  made  to  engage  artists  during  Commemoration  events  enabling them to avail financial benefits out of the grants released by the Ministry.