Ministry of Culture allocated over Rs 3,000 cr; ASI gets a third of total outlay

Calling it Atmanirbhar Bharat ka Budget, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said, “As India celebrates 75 years of independence, we are entering Amrit Kaal and this budget presents a blueprint for India at 100. Vikas (development) and Virasat (heritage) go hand-in-hand and this is evident from the fact that this year’s budgetary allocations for Tourism and Culture Ministries have been significantly higher.”

A third of the total outlay, at Rs 1080.34 crore has been allocated to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which protects and conserves more than 3,600 monuments across the country. This remains almost the same as last year, at Rs 1042 crore. The Ministry’s flagship schemes, which include Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana, Development of Museums, International Cooperation, Centenary and Anniversary Celebration scheme and Development of Libraries and Archives, has recorded an outlay of Rs 532.55 crore, while the funds allocated for the promotion of Indian languages have seen a significant drop this year, from above Rs 400 crore till last year, to Rs 250 crore for 2022-2023.

With the Ministry of Culture being the nodal agency for Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) celebrations, commemorating 75 years of India’s independence, a provision of Rs 110 crore has been made under its Centenary and Anniversary Celebration scheme.

The government has allocated Rs 1023.33 crore to autonomous bodies such as Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, various national museums, libraries and other cultural institutions across India, as compared to Rs 901.21 crore in the last financial year. Interestingly, a provision of Rs 106 crore has been made under the Ministry’s International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) to establish a Buddhist Monastery in Lumbini, Nepal.

As the Ministry focused on celebrating 125th birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose this year, the next year will see mega events to celebrate 150 years of Aurobindo, as part of AKAM. Officially, AKAM commenced on March 12, 2021, at Gujarat’s Sabarmati, starting a 75-week countdown to the 75th anniversary of Independence, on August 15, 2023. Approximately 50 events a day are being held under AKAM across the country, as per officials. A proposal for enhancement of the outlay for the Centenary and Anniversary Scheme to Rs 980 cr over a period of five years with Rs 380 cr for the year 2022-23 is also under consideration.

Interestingly, a special provision of Rs 100 crore has been made this year, under the Development of Museum Scheme, for a Museum at Vadnagar which happens to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthplace. The Rs 200 crore archaeological museum will display materials like coins dating back to 3rd century BC, seal impressions from the 4th to 8th century AD, besides terracotta forms, iron nails, copper implements, images and beads. Sculptures and images from Hindu mythology collected from Vadnagar and nearby areas and copper plates dating back to 6th century AD will also be put on display. It will replace the old one built in 1996 that was partly damaged in the 2001 earthquake.

Besides, several proposals mooted by the Ministry are also under consideration. These include an increase in the outlay for Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana to Rs 994.32 cr over a period of five years (2021-26); enhancing the pension for old artists from Rs. 4000 a month to Rs 6000 per month; promoting the Guru-Shishya Parampara through increased financial assistance of up to Rs 15,000 for the gurus, and up to Rs 10,000 for the shishya.