India 2018

58 India 2018
5
Culture and Tourism
THE mandate of the Ministry of Culture revolves around the functions like
preservation and conservation of ancient cultural heritage and promotion of
art and culture both tangible and intangible in the country. The Ministry has
two attached, six subordinate offices and thirty five autonomous organisations,
which are fully funded by the Government. There are seven zonal cultural centres
working mainly on folk and traditional arts of different zones. There are also
four missions namely National Mission for Manuscripts, National Mission for
Monument and Antiquities, National Mission on Libraries, and Gandhi Heritage
Sites Mission. Broadly, this Ministry is working on the protection, development
and promotion of all types of heritage of culture namely, tangible heritage,
intangible heritage and knowledge heritage. In addition, the Ministry also
harbours the responsibility of Gandhian heritage and commemoration of
important historical events and centenaries of great personalities. In tangible
heritage, the Ministry takes care of all the centrally protected monuments of
national importance, which is achieved through Archeological Survey of India.
Similarly, the Ministry is also promoting a museum movement in the country
and majority of the museums are under its administrative control. The Ministry
also promotes regional museums through grants-in-aid.
In the field of intangible heritage, the Ministry extends financial support
to individuals, group of individuals and cultural organizations engaged in
performing visual and literary arts. Similarly, the Ministry through its
organizations, is engaged in recognizing excellence in the field of art and culture
by way of awards given by institutions like Sahitya Akademi and Sangeet Natak
Akademi. The National School of Drama is involved in promoting a vibrant
theatre movement of contemporary relevance in the context of our traditions
and cultural diversity.
In knowledge heritage, the Ministry is the custodian of all the major
libraries in the country. It also extends grant-in-aid for library development
and is also responsible for all policy matters regarding library development.
Through National Archives of India, Ministry is responsible for maintenance of
all archival records of the country. The Ministry is also involved in protection
and promotion of Buddhist and Tibetian Culture and is doing this through
various institutions located at Sarnath, Varanasi and Leh. This Ministry has a
very well-planned capacity-building programme for all those who want to excel
in the field of Indian as well as Asian art and culture. Institutions like the School
of Archaeology, School of Archives, National Institute of History and Art,
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies are mentionable in this
regard. Various courses offered by National School of Drama and Kalakshetra
Foundation are also some of the examples of capacity building programmes of