Scheme for “Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India”

(2013-2016)

India has a vast basket of living and diverse cultural traditions, traditional expressions, intangible cultural heritage comprising masterpieces which need institutional support and encouragement with a view to addressing areas critical for the survival and propagation of these forms of cultural heritage. Though, such preservation efforts are being carried out in a scattered form, a need is being felt to have an institutionalized and centralized Scheme for concerted efforts in the direction of professionally enhancing awareness and interest in Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), safeguarding, promoting and propagating it systematically.

For this purpose, the Ministry of Culture had formulated a Scheme titled “Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India”, with the objective of reinvigorating and revitalizing various institutions, groups, individuals, identified non-MOC institutions, non-government organizations, researchers and scholars so that they may engage in activities/ projects for strengthening, protecting, preserving and promoting the rich intangible cultural heritage of India.

The objective of the Scheme is to support and strengthen the efforts of various stakeholders visà-vis wider recognition and acceptance, dissemination, preservation and promotion of the rich, diverse and vast ICH of India including recognition of the same by the UNESCO. The Scheme’s aim is to support:

  1. Institutions/ Universities/ State Govts/ UT Administrations/ non-MoC Institutions/ Societies/ Non-government organizations, involved in the preservation and propagation of intangible cultural heritage, cultural expressions etc.
  2. Individuals, researchers, scholars, professionals who are involved in the research, training, preservation, perpetuation, dissemination, and propagation of intangible cultural heritage, cultural expressions etc.

Activities supported under the Scheme

  1. Documentation/ data creation/ cataloguing, etc. for the purpose of creating a National/ State/ District/ Local Level Register for Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
  2. Preservation, support and safeguarding of intangible cultural expressions/ diverse cultural traditions of India that are masterpieces, including preparations of nomination dossiers of intangible culture heritage for inscriptions by UNESCO, in order to address areas critical for the survival and propagation of these forms, giving training support to students and artists in these areas, support to practitioners for workshops, performances documentation and database-creation through various media, support for dissemination, etc.
  3. Activities for integration of education and culture with reference to ICH/ diverse cultural traditions of India.
  4. Support to initiative of Ministry of HRD in setting up Sector Skill Councils relating to art under National Vocational Educational Qualifications Framework (NVEQF)