Government fully recognizes the importance of our culture and cultural industries as sources of socio-economic development, livelihood generation and wealth creation as well as the wellbeing of individuals. With this in view and to promote, protect & preserve various forms of folk art & culture, the Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) in the country with headquarters at Patiala (Punjab), Nagpur (Maharashtra), Udaipur (Rajasthan), Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Kolkata (West Bengal), Dimapur (Nagaland) and Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu). Annual grant-in-aid is provided to these ZCCs to organize cultural programmes/activities in their member States on a regular basis throughout the year. Artists from all over India are engaged by these ZCCs who showcase their talents during these programmes to give them opportunity to earn their livelihood. For well-being of the artists, they are paid honorarium, DA/TA, boarding & lodging and local transportation.

Besides, to provide livelihood to these artists and for their well-being, the Ministry of Culture also organizes Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs) in various parts of the country. Since 2015, the Ministry has organized 14 RSMs up till now and three Zonal Level RSMs at Kota, Pune and Delhi during 2023 through its seven ZCCs. In addition to this, these ZCCs also organize a minimum number of 42 Regional Festivals every year which also help in providing livelihood to these artists. These ZCCs implement number of schemes viz. Award to Young Talented Artists, Guru Shishya Parampara, Theatre Rejuvenation, Research & Documentation, Shilpgram, OCTAVE and National Cultural Exchange Programme in this regard. These ZCCs under Ministry of Culture take number of initiatives to support India’s cultural and creative industries. Activities like workshops, camps, exhibitions, conferences and seminars aimed at raising awareness of the importance of cultural and creative industries are organized by these ZCCs where exchange of ideas, knowledge, practices and work methodologies take place between participants, experts and professionals from several fields relating to the cultural and creative industries. Artists from nook and corner of the country participate in the programmes of ZCCs and try to adapt themselves to the different culture, costume and customs of other artists. It helps them to shape their values, beliefs and behaviors as well as their artistic and intellectual achievements. During the programmes organized by these ZCCs, stalls are set up by the artisans from various parts of India who exhibit their products at the venue to let the visitors know about the services and their experiences.

The Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) under Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India implements National Handicrafts Development Programme (NHDP) and Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme (CHCDS) for development, promotion, & preservation of handicrafts in a holistic manner and to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to the artisans. The NHDP has following components:

 

1.    Marketing Support & Services

2.    Skill Development in Handicrafts Sector

3.    Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana

4.    Direct Benefit to Artisans

5.    Infrastructure and Technology Support

6.    Research and Development

 

This information was given by Minister of Culture, Tourism & Development of North Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy in Lok Sabha today.

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