To protect, promote & preserve various forms of folk art and culture throughout the country, the Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur. Annual grant-in-aid is released to these seven ZCCs for organizing various cultural activities and programmes on regular basis in their member States.

To promote the tribal culture, various   festivals like Hornbill Festival, Octave, Tribal Dance Festival, Adi Bimb, Adi Sapta Pallav, Adi Lok Rang, Adiwasi Mahotsav etc. are organized through Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) of Ministry of Culture to showcase unique forms of folk dances, songs, cuisine, exhibitions and demonstration of traditional skill in painting, art & craft etc. Artists are engaged by ZCCs from tribal areas to showcase their talents in various cultural programmes/ activities organized by them for which they are paid honorarium, DA/TA, boarding & lodging etc. The annual grant-in-aid released to the seven ZCCs for organizing various cultural activities and programmes during the last three year is as under:

(Rs. in lakh)

 

Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing the schemes of “Support to Tribal Research Institutes and Tribal Research, Information, Education, Communication and Events” under which various activities are undertaken to conserve and promote tribal culture, archives, artefacts, customs and traditions of the tribal communities.            

Under the Scheme of “Tribal Research, Information, Education, Communication and Events (TRI-ECE)”, reputed research Institutes/ Organizations/ Universities have undertaken various research studies/ publication of books/ documentation including audio visual documentaries etc.

Kerala is a member State of South Zone Cultural Centre (SZCC), Thanjavur (an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture) which regularly organizes cultural activities/ programmes in the State of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Union Territories of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry. During the last three (03) years, funds released to SZCC, Thanjavur for organizing cultural activities/ programmes in its member States are as under:

(Rs. in lakh)

 

A list of programmes organized by SZCC, Thanjavur in the State of Kerala during the last three (03) years is as under

 

 

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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Sunil Kumar Tiwari

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