Eleventh Five Year Plan

Youth Affairs and Sports and Art and Culture 51viz., Kalanidhi (multi-form library); Kalakosh (Indianlanguage texts); Janapada Sampada (lifestyle studies);Kaladarshan (visible forms of IGNCA researches);Culture Informatics Lab (technology tools for culturalpreservation); and Sutradhara (coordinating IGNCAactivities). IGNCA had a plan outlay of Rs 90.00 crore.IGNCA’s performance suffered a setback due to administrativeand other reasons including lack of crediblePlan schemes. By the time the factors responsible fordismal performance and other issues were sorted outand IGNCA re-railed, the Tenth Plan closed with anexpenditure only Rs 4.12 crore.Institutions of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies2.2.17 Out of the Tenth Plan outlay of Rs 45.70 crore,an expenditure of Rs 45.11 crore was incurred indicating98.7% utilization. The scheme consists ofCentral Institute of Buddhist Studies (Leh), CentralInstitute of Higher Tibetan Studies (Sarnath), Centrefor Buddhist Cultural Studies (Tawang), Tibet House(New Delhi), and Scheme of Financial Assistancefor the Preservation and Development of Buddhist/Tibetan Culture and Art.Memorials2.2.18 The scheme comprises Gandhi Smriti, DarshanSamiti, and Nehru Memorial Museum and Library(New Delhi), Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute ofAsian Studies (Kolkata), and Nava Nalanda Mahavihar(Bihar). Actual expenditure at Rs 61.73 crore exceededthe plan outlay of Rs 49.35 crore by 25.1%.Activities for North East Region (NER)2.2.19 As against the targeted expenditure of Rs 154.00crore in the NER, the actual expenditure was onlyRs 134.19 crore (87.1%). With the aim of creatingcultural awareness in the NER and identifying/promoting vanishing folk art traditions in rural/semi-urban areas the North Eastern ZCC has been setup at Dimapur. The progress under the schemeof Multipurpose Cultural Complexes (MPCC) hasbeen slow and the scheme not yet been evaluated inany of the States. The MPCC did not meet anycriteria for a CSS and only about 25% of the projectssanctioned have been completed. As per the ZBBexercise, the scheme was discontinued in Budget2007–08. Initiatives were taken to set up the CentralInstitute of Himalayan Cultural Studies at Dahung(AP) for promoting traditional Buddhist Studies.The approach towards utilization of earmarkedfunds, save for few activities listed above, was far fromsatisfactory. It is essential that the 10% earmarkedresources are not only invested for the NE States butalso in the NER.PERSPECTIVE OF THE ELEVENTH PLAN2.2.20 Given the challenges inherent in the enormitya country of India’s size, the monumental diversity ofits people and their languages, and the plurality offaiths and belief systems, it is imperative to embark ona planned development of cultural conservation andpromotion activities in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.There is a need for a long-term perspective plan foreach major sector within which the medium term andannual plans are built up to fulfil the vision.2.2.21 Diversity is the hallmark of India’s rich culturalheritage. Therefore, all forms of art and culture shouldhave an equal footing and deserve financial and othersupport. Conventional support should yield to relativemerits in terms of the need to preserve, protect,and promote the cultures of different parts of the country.In this context, it is essential to view culture as ‘waysof living together’, as means to the end of promotingand sustaining human progress, with intrinsic value.Accordingly, the imbalances in flow of funds for variousactivities under promotion and dissemination ofperforming arts will have to be set right, particularlyin favour of vanishing folk arts and crafts that cannotbe pitted against classical arts to compete for resourcesand media attention. Popular forms of art andculture, particularly in terms of patronage, couldfind resources of their own via PPP.2.2.22 Many art forms are in the peril of witheringaway due to the lack of State patronage. Market forcescan also extend support to creative arts, but these arenecessarily selective and limited. There is a needfor greater support for performing arts and for correctingthe distortions induced by selective supportof market forces. It is with this perspective thatthe existing schemes in the area of art and culture includingPerforming Arts, in addition to being reviewedand strengthened, have been appraised and recommendedfor continuation in the Eleventh Plan withmodifications.