Lok Sabha Question No. 4309 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: Initiative to Propagate value of Buddhism and Jainism
Ministry: MINORITY AFFAIRS
Asked by: Shri Ananta Nayak

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4309

ANSWERED ON 26.03.2025

## INITIATIVE TO PROPAGATE VALUE OF BUDDHISM AND JAINISM

## 4309. SHRI ANANTA NAYAK:

Will the Minister of MINORITY AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiative  to  propagate  the  values  of  Jainism  and Buddhism in the country;

(b)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  progress  made  in  this  regard,  State/UT-wise particularly in Odisha;

(c)  whether  the  Government  has  implemented  any  special  scheme  for  the  conservation  and upgradation/preservation of Jain and Buddhist heritage sites in the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise particularly in Odisha;

(d) the amount of financial assistance provided by the Government so far for the development of Jain and Buddhist pilgrimage sites; and

(e)  whether the Government proposes to launch any new initiative to promote the philosophy, education and research of these religions in the country and if so, the details thereof, State/UTwise particularly in Odisha?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF MINORITY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a) and (b): To propagate the values of Jainism and Buddhism in the country, various initiatives are being undertaken by the Government of India, which are as under:

## I. Initiatives to promote the Buddhism:

-  In the month of March, 2024, the M/o Minority Affairs laid the foundation stone for 38 projects with a total estimated cost of Rs. 225.00 crore under Buddhist Development Plan under  the  aegis  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Vikas  Karyakaram  (PMJVK)  in  the  States  of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and the Union Territory of Ladakh.  The  projects  aim  to  promote  Buddhism  and  the  secularization  of  traditional theological education.  Out of the total projected amount, an allocation of Rs. 85.00 crore has been made to the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Leh, U.T. Ladakh, for the construction of school buildings, a new academic building for traditional courses, and

souvenir shops. An amount of Rs. 14.50 crore has been earmarked for the construction of Training-cum-Examination  Centres  for  Leh  and  Kargil.  Rs.  30.00  crore  has  been allocated for strengthening the Centre for Advanced Studies in Buddhist Studies at the University of Delhi, to promote academic collaboration, research, language preservation,and skill upgradation of the Buddhist population. Rs. 40.00 crore has been allocated for the Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS).

-  In  addition,  Government  had  sanctioned  projects  worth  Rs.361.97  crore  under  the Buddhist   Circuit  of  Swadesh  Darshan  Scheme.  The  Ministry  of  Tourism  provides financial assistance to the State Government and Union Territory for the development of these circuits.

## II. Initiatives to promote the Jainism:-

-  The Central Government granted the status of minority religion to the Jains during the year 2014 placing them in equal footing with other minorities.
-  Programme to commemorate 2550th Bhagwan Mahaveer Nirvan Mahotsav on 21.04.2024 was organized in New Delhi.
-  The Ministry of Minority Affairs approved project under  PMJVK  Scheme  for 'Establishment  of  Centre  for  Jain  Studies  in  Devi  Ahilya  Vishwa  Vidyalaya  (DAVV), Indore Campus to undertake preservation and promotion of Jain Heritage, fostering interdisciplinary research in the field. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs. 25 crore for the  preservation  and  conservation  of  Jain  culture,  including  the  digitization  of  Jain manuscripts,  widespread  knowledge  sharing  of  Jain  traditions  and  customs,  promoting interdisciplinary research on Jain literature, preserving the language through digitization of manuscripts, and community outreach through hubs, among other activities.

In  addition,  four  autonomous  organizations  are  working  under  the  administrative  control  of Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India:

- i. Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh (Deemed To Be University)
- ii. Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda, Bihar (Deemed To Be University)
- iii. Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS), Sarnath (Deemed To Be University)
- iv. Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS), Dahung, Arunachal Pradesh

Ministry of Culture also provides annual grants-in-aid for the upkeep and maintenance of the following six Grantee Bodies for promoting Buddhist/Tibetan Culture and Art:

- i. Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamshala
- ii. Tibet House, New Delhi
- iii. Centre for Buddhist Cultural Studies, Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh
- iv. Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Sikkim
- v. International Buddhist Confederation, Delhi
- vi. GRL Monastic School, Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh

Besides, two financial grant schemes are also being implemented by the Ministry of Culture for the propagation and scientific development of Buddhist/Tibetan Culture and tradition as well as the preservation of cultural heritage of Himalayas:

- i. Scheme of  Financial  Assistance  for  the  Development  of  Buddhist/Tibetan  Culture  & Art :  Under  this  scheme,  Buddhist/Tibetan organizations  including  Monasteries and NGOs engaged  in  the  propagation  and  scientific  development  of  Buddhist/Tibetan  Culture  and tradition,  located  anywhere  in  the  country,  are  given  financial  assistance.  The  details  of funds to various states under the scheme is at Annexure-I .
- ii. Scheme  of  Financial  Assistance  for  the  Preservation  &  Development  of  Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas : The objective of the scheme is to promote, protect and preserve the  cultural  heritage  of  the  Himalayan  region  including  Jammu  &  Kashmir,  Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh through research, documentation, and dissemination.  Financial  assistance  is  provided  to  institutions  &  voluntary  organizations working  for  this  purpose.  The  details  of  funds  to  various  states  under  the  scheme  is  at Annexure-II.

(c) and (d): Under a convergence model to address the economic, social and cultural deficits being encountered  by  otherwise  neglected  minority  communities,  a  Buddhist  Development  Program (BDP)  was  launched  by  Ministry  of  Minority  Affairs    as  a  pilot  initiative  which  addresses  the diverse needs of the Buddhist population and advances their social and economic progress. The plan also includes infrastructural development  in various sectors like Education, Health, Sports Renewable  Energy  etc.  through  this  project  and  cover  majorly  the  Himalayan  Belt  starting  from Ladakh to Sikkim. The respective States/UTs/CGOs implement and supervise the projects.

(e): Government of India has declared 'Pali' as a classical language on 04.10.2024, which has several benefits for the Buddhist Community and India's cultural heritage. Pali, the sacred language of Theravada Buddhism, is the language of the Buddha's sermons.

Jain Agams are the Holy books for Jains. They are originally in Prakrit language which is supposed  to  be  language  of  Teerthankara's.  The  Central  Government  has  recognized  Prakrit language as one of the Classical languages of India on 04.10.2024.

The declarations of Pali  and Prakrit languages will enhance their study  in educational institutions, fostering greater understanding and preservation of Buddhist & Jainism traditions.

*****

## Annexure-I

## ANNEXURE   REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4309 FOR ANSWER ON 26.03.2025 REGARDING 'INITIATIVE TO PROPAGATE VALUE OF BUDDHISM AND JAINISM' ASKED BY SHRI ANANTA NAYAK

## (Amount in Rs Lakh)

| S. No.   | State             | 2021-22               | 2021-22   | 2022-23               | 2022-23   | 2023-24               | 2023-24   | 2024-25 (as on date)   | 2024-25 (as on date)   |
|----------|-------------------|-----------------------|-----------|-----------------------|-----------|-----------------------|-----------|------------------------|------------------------|
| S. No.   | State             | Nos. of Organisations | Amount    | Nos. of Organisations | Amount    | Nos. of Organisations | Amount    | Nos. of Organisations  | Amount                 |
| 1        | Arunachal Pradesh | 46                    | 394.06    | 57                    | 518.19    | 50                    | 392.31    | 60                     | 416.33                 |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh    | 7                     | 5.45      | 2                     | 8         | 10                    | 9.18      | 2                      | 7.00                   |
| 3        | Assam             | 7                     | 22.49     | 9                     | 30        | 15                    | 72.00     | 6                      | 24.36                  |
| 4        | Bihar             | 2                     | 7.5       | 2                     | 8.5       | 2                     | 8.50      | 2                      | 10.48                  |
| 5        | Chandigarh (UT)   | 10                    | 69.5      | 7                     | 49.5      | 4                     | 40.00     | 13                     | 102.16                 |
| 6        | NCT of Delhi      | 4                     | 31.76     | 6                     | 44.47     | 2                     | 9.45      | 7                      | 44.27                  |
| 7        | Himachal Pradesh  | 81                    | 375.52    | 78                    | 550.97    | 31                    | 167.63    | 37                     | 242.99                 |
| 8        | UT of J& K        | 1                     | 7.5       | 6                     | 23.5      | 4                     | 20.00     | 4                      | 28.50                  |
| 9        | UT of Ladakh      | 89                    | 523.06    | 45                    | 319.62    | 44                    | 246.42    | 6                      | 26.94                  |
| 10       | Karnataka         | 38                    | 212.59    | 33                    | 272.8     | 11                    | 62.78     | 20                     | 149.98                 |
| 11       | Kerala            | 0                     | 0         | 1                     | 13.5      | 0                     | 0         |                        |                        |
| 12       | Mizoram           | 0                     | 0         | 0                     | 0         | 0                     | 0         |                        |                        |

| 13    | Madhya Pradesh   |   0 |       0 |   5 |      29 |   4 |   30.00 | 1   | 5.00    |
|-------|------------------|-----|---------|-----|---------|-----|---------|-----|---------|
| 14    | Maharashtra      |   3 |   15    |  11 |   38.25 |  14 |   41    | 4   | 13.24   |
| 15    | Manipur          |   0 |    0    |   2 |    5.5  |   3 |    9.5  | 1   | 3.00    |
| 16    | Odissa           |   0 |    0    |   1 |    5    |   2 |   12    | 2   | 11.00   |
| 17    | Punjab           |   0 |    0    |   2 |    8.5  |   2 |   10    |     |         |
| 18    | Sikkim           |   2 |   37.5  |   0 |    0    |  12 |   89.93 | 2   | 24.70   |
| 19    | Tripura          |  10 |   82.91 |   7 |   37.5  |   7 |   41.5  | 17  | 97.20   |
| 20    | Tamil Nadu       |   1 |    5    |   0 |    0    |   2 |   10    |     |         |
| 21    | Telangana        |   0 |    0    |   2 |   22.5  |   3 |   30    |     |         |
| 22    | Uttarakhand      |  34 |  310.8  |  26 |  252.42 |   5 |   35.5  | 25  | 253.72  |
| 23    | Uttar Pradesh    |  19 |  110.31 |  27 |  195.28 |  11 |   44.15 | 16  | 120.11  |
| 24    | West Bengal      |  12 |   40.22 |  72 |  168    |  92 |  175.51 | 19  | 30.98   |
| Total | Total            | 366 | 2251.17 | 401 | 2601    | 330 | 1557.36 | 244 | 1611.96 |

## Annexure-II

## ANNEXURE   REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4309 FOR ANSWER ON 26.03.2025 REGARDING 'INITIATIVE TO PROPAGATE VALUE OF BUDDHISM AND JAINISM' ASKED BY SHRI ANANTA NAYAK

## (Amount in Rs.  Lakh)

|    |                   | 2021-22      | 2021-22         | 2022-23      | 2022-23         | 2023-24      | 2023-24         | 2024-25      | 2024-25                   |
|----|-------------------|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|--------------|---------------------------|
| S. | State             | No. of cases | Amount released | No. of cases | Amount released | No. of cases | Amount released | No. of cases | Amount released till date |
| 1. | Arunachal Pradesh | 32           | 103.50 41       |              | 117.95          | 32           | 77.00           | 5            | 13.56                     |
| 2. | Sikkim            | 6            | 16.50           | 4            | 10.00           | 3            | 11.00           |              |                           |
| 3. | Himachal Pradesh  | 37           | 90.25           | 42           | 98.52           | 40           | 97.50           | 2            | 5.99                      |
| 4. | Jammu and Kashmir | 43           | 73.25           | 69           | 117.02          | 24           | 37.52           |              |                           |
| 5. | Ladakh            | 6            | 18.00           | 11           | 34.00           | 2            | 5.50            |              |                           |
| 6. | Uttarakhand       | 79.00        | 171.97          | 58.00        | 91.24           | 48.00        | 64.00           | 2            | 3.50                      |
| 7. | Delhi             | -            | -               | -            | -               | -            | -               | 1            | 1.75                      |
|    | Total             | 203          | 473.47          | 225          | 468.73          | 149          | 292.52          | 10           | 24.80                     |