CULTURE AND TOURISM

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CULTURE AND TOURISM

BestCurrentAffairs.com 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.  In knowledge heritage, the Ministry is the custodian of all the major libraries in 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. 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 the Ministry.  The Ministry is also responsible for the implementation of various UNESCO conventions. India has Cultural Agreements with 107 countries and agreements relating to Cultural Exchange Programmes have been signed with 69 countries.  In a landmark achievement, India’s nomination of the ‘Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai’ has been inscribed on the World Heritage list of the UNESCO. With this, Mumbai becomes the second city in the country after Ahmedabad to figure in the list. India now has in all 37 World Heritage inscriptions with 29 cultural, 7 natural and 1 mixed sites.  The first ever international Kala Mela was held in New Delhi in February 2018. The Ministry of Culture launched a new scheme, namely, Seva Bhoj Yojana in 2018. The scheme envisages to reimburse the central government share of GST on langar (community kitchen) / bhandara.  Government of India commemorated the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak at national as well as international level in befitting manner.  The 500th death anniversary of 15th century poet-saint Kabir was held in June 2018 in Maghar, Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.  Lalit Kala Akademi, the National Academy of Art, was set up in 1954. Lalit Kala Akademi is the government’s apex cultural body in the field of visual arts in India. It is an autonomous body, which is fully funded by the Ministry of Culture. programmes organized by the headquarters in New Delhi and by the Centres situated at Bhubaneshwar, Chennai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Garhi (New Delhi) and sub centres at Shimla and Patna. In Delhi, the Akademi administers the Garhi Artists’ Studios where approximately 200 artists work regularly.  In 1945, the Asiatic Society of Bengal submitted a proposal for the creation of a National Cultural Trust consisting of three academies-an academy of dance, drama and music; an academy of letters and an academy of art and architecture. It led to the creation of three national academies after Independence. The national Academy named Sangeet Natak Akademi, was the first of these entities to be established by a resolution of the Ministry of Education. In 1961, the Sangeet Natak Akademi was reconstituted by the Government as a society and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (as amended in 1957).  The Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA) in Imphal, the premier institution in the teaching of Manipuri dance and music, established in 1954, is the first of these institutions. In 1959, the Akademi established the National School of Drama and the Asian Theatre Institute; and in 1964, the Kathak Kendra, both being based in Delhi. The Akademi’s other projects of national importance are in Kutiyattam theatre of Kerala, commenced in 1991. Kutiyattam was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2001. The project on Chhau dance of Odisha, Jharkhand and West Bengal began in 1994. The project support to Sattriya music, dance, theatre and allied arts of Assam was started in 2002.  The National School of Drama (NSD)-one of the foremost theatre institutions in the world and the only one of its kind in India was set up by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1959. Later in 1975, it became an autonomous organization, totally financed by Department of Culture. The School has a performing wing, a Repertory Company to establish professional theatre and regular experimental work.  The NSD has promoted children’s theatre. It (renamed as Sanskar Rang Toli) was founded in 1989. Since 1998, the School has organized National Theatre Festival for Children christened ‘Jashne Bachpan’ every year.  The first ever National Theatre Festival christened was held from March 18 to April 14, 1999. A short-term teaching and training programme titled ‘Extension Programme’ was started in 1978. The School has a Regional Research Centre at Bengaluru to cater to the theatrical needs of the four southern states and Puducherry.  Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters promotes literature in 24 languages of India recognized by it. Sahitya Akademi publishes three journals, Indian Literature (bi-monthly in English), Samkaleena Bhartiya Sahitya (bi-monthly in Hindi) and Sanskrit Pratibha (quarterly in Sanskrit). The Akademi’s head office is situated in New Delhi with offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020  Sahitya Akademi Award [the Award carries the prize money of ₹ 1 lakh and citation], awarded to the most outstanding book(s) of literary merit published in the 24 Indian languages recognized by the Akademi. Bhasha Samman [the Award carries the prize money of ₹ 1 lakh and citation] is given to BestCurrentAffairs.com writers. Translation Prize [the Award carries the prize money of ₹ 50,000 and citation] is given to outstanding translations in all the 24 languages recognized by the Akademi, Bal Sahitya Puraskar [the Award carries the prize money of ₹ 50,000 and citation] is given to outstanding contributions to children’s literature in 24 languages and Yuva Puraskar [the Award carries the prize money of ₹ 50,000 and citation] is given to young Indian writers in 24 languages, are the awards instituted by the Akademi.  The Akademi organizes Festival of Letters every year to celebrate Indian writing. Sahitya Akademi promotes Tribal and Oral Literature in the country through its Centre for Tribal and Oral Literature in Delhi and North-East Centre for Oral Literature in Imphal.  Sahitya Akademi Library in New Delhi is one of the very few multilingual libraries which cater solely to literature. Sahitya Akademi has libraries in its regional offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.  Located in the heart of New Delhi, The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is an autonomous trust under the Ministry of Culture. The IGNCA has six functional units – Kalanidhi, the multi-form library; Kalakosa, devoted mainly to the study and publication of fundamental texts in Indian languages; Janapada Sampada, the division engaged in lifestyle studies; Kaladarsana; the executive unit which transforms researches and studies emanating from the IGNCA into visible forms through exhibition; Cultural Informatics Lab, which applies technology tools for cultural preservation and propagation; and Sutradhara, the administrative section that acts as a spine supporting and coordinating all the activities.  The IGNCA has a regional centre at Bengaluru. The regional centre for the eastern region office is located in Varanasi. The centre for North East is based in Guwahati. IGNCA has also operationalised six new centres across the country in Ranchi, Puducherry, Vadodara, Thrissur, Goa and Srinagar. IGNCA also manages the National Mission of Manuscripts which has conserved and digitised precious heritage of manuscripts through resource and conservation centres across India.  The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) was set up in 1979 as an autonomous organization by the Government of India. With headquarters in New Delhi, it has three regional centres at Udaipur, Hyderabad and Guwahati. CCRT implements the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme, which provides scholarships to outstanding children in the age group of 10 to 14 years. The Scheme for ‘Award of Scholarships to Young Artistes (SYA) in Different Cultural Fields’ is also implemented. Project Sanskriti is an initiative of Ministry of Culture in developing/ establishing of interpretation centres in educational institutions in Varanasi. CCRT has also instituted Teachers’ Award that carries a citation, a plaque and a cash price of ₹ 25,000.  The seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) were established under this scheme during 1985-86 at Patiala, Kolkata, Thanjavur, Udaipur, Allahabad, Dimapur and Nagpur. Under the National Cultural Exchange Programme (NCEP), exchanges of artists, musicologists, performers and scholars between different regions within the country take place.  Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat was announced in 2015 on the occasion of the 140th Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It aims to celebrate the unity in diversity of our nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our country.  The aim of Buddhist Tibetan Institutions (BTI) is to help preserve, promote and propagate the intangible of Buddhist/Tibetan/Himalayan cultural heritage of the country. The scheme was revised in 2011.  The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS), Leh Ladakh formerly known as School of Buddhist Philosophy was established at the behest of late Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru in 1959. The Institute has obtained the Status of Deemed University in January, 2016.  The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (NNM) was established in 1951 in Nalanda, Bihar by the Government of Bihar. The NNM is an institution of post graduate studies and research in Pali and Buddhism. At present, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture and accorded Deemed University status in 2006.  The Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath, Varanasi was established in 1967 with a view to educating the youths of Tibet and Indian students of Himalayan border areas. The Institute was declared as a “Deemed to be University” in 1988.  The Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS) has been registered as a Society in 2010 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The area of operation of the Society shall be all over India. Regular Grants are also provided to six grantee bodies viz., Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamshala Tibet House, New Delhi, Centre for Buddhist Cultural Studies, Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Sikkim, International Buddhist Confederation, GRL Monastic School, Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh.  The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was established in 1861. It functions as an attached office of the Ministry of Culture. Under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the ASI has declared 3,686 monuments/sites to be of national importance in the country which includes twenty one properties that are inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO.  Three sites, namely, Champaner-Pavagarh Archaeological Park in Gujarat, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) Station in Mumbai and the Brihadisvara temple complex, Gangaikondacholapuram and the Airavatesvara temple complex, Darasuram as an extension to the Brihadisvara temple complex. Thanjavur (now commonly called as the Great Living Chola Temples) have been inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO in 2004. Nomination dossiers for the

Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai have been sent to the World Heritage Centre for inscription on

Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020 the World Heritage List of UNESCO. The total number of individual structures being maintained by the ASI is over 5,000.  The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) was launched in 2007 with the objective to BestCurrentAffairs.com prepare a National database on Built Heritage and Sites (BH&S) and antiquities from different sources and museums during the XIth Five Year Plan. As per recommendations of National Productivity Council in its 3rd Party Evaluation Report, NMMA has been made a Division of Archaeological Survey of India. NMMA prepares two national registers viz., (i) National Register on Built Heritage and Sites and (ii) National Register on Antiquities.  The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was launched in 2003 with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) as the nodal agency to reclaim India’s inheritance of knowledge contained in the vast treasure of manuscripts. The National Museum, functions as a subordinate office under the Ministry of Culture since 1960, houses over 2.6 lakh art objects dating from pre-historic era onwards.  The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi was founded in 1954 to promote and develop contemporary Indian Art.  Indian Museum : The history and the highlights of the Indian Museum the eighth oldest Museum in the world which houses almost 1.10 lakhs of artefacts telling the oriental history and the heritage of India. Sir William Jones as one of the profoundest scholars devoted his life to the service of India founded Asiatic Society in 1784.  Dr. Nathanial Wallich, a Danish Botanist, wrote a letter to the Asiatic Society in which he strongly advocated the formation of a Museum at the premises of the Society. Thus a museum, under the guidance of Dr. Nathanial Wallich was established in 1814 at the cradle of the Asiatic Society. The museum was known in the beginning as the “Asiatic Society Museum” subsequently came to be known as the “Imperial Museum” and later familiarized as the “Indian Museum” which is more familiar by the name ‘Jadughar’ among the visitors. The present building of the Indian Museum was completed in 1875.  The Museum which was founded on 1814 at the cradle of the Asiatic Society thus grew into the largest institution of its kind of the country portraying the legacy and pride of the nation. Since 1878, at its present edifice, Indian Museum has been rendering its services to the people of India as an epitome of art and culture of India and is also being highlighted as one of the pioneering national institutions in the Constitution of the Republic of India.  National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, is the largest network of science centres/museums in the world functioning under a single administrative control. NCSM is the implementing agency for the Science City Scheme for developing new science centres in the country of national, regional and district level. The concept of ‘Museum on Wheels’ was introduced in India in 1965 when Mobile Science Exhibition (MSE) programme started as Mobile Science Museum (MSM) at Ramkrishna Mission School, Kolkata. Last year, this programme has been added in Limca Book of Records for Largest and longest running Informal Science Education Programme in India. NCSM also facilitates participation of Indian students in International Astronomy Olympiad (Junior category) every year by organising Orientation Cum Selection Camp and Pre Departure Training for selected students.  The Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata (VMH), was founded principally through the efforts of Viceroy Lord Curzon, in 1921 as a period museum in memory of Queen Victoria with particular emphasis on IndoBritish history. The VMH was declared an institution of national importance by the Government of India Act of 1935. The VMH is currently by far the most- visited museum in India and one of the top museums in the world in terms of footfall. In 2015 it was also named as the ‘Cleanest Monument in India,’ for which it bagged the India Today Safaigiri Award.  National Museum Institute of History of Art, Conservation and Museology is an autonomous organization, fully funded by the Ministry of Culture, established and declared as a Deemed University in 1989. This is the only Museum University in India and is presently functioning at the first floor of National Museum, New Delhi. The Director General, National Museum is the ex-officio Vice-Chancellor of this University.  National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) was established in 1976, as a subordinate office of the Department of Culture and is recognized by the Department of Science and Technology as a scientific institution of the Government of India. NRLC with its headquarters at Lucknow, has full fledged Training Institute campus at Jankipuram, Lucknow and a regional centre - Regional Conservation Laboratory at Mysore set up for catering to conservation needs of south India.  Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture was conceived in 1936 as one of the permanent memorials to Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) on the occasion of his first birth centenary. It was formally established in 1938 as a branch centre of the Ramakrishna Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda to propagate the message of Vedanta as propounded by Sri Ramakrishna.  Over the years, the Anthropological Survey of India has generated information from grass-root level through sustained research by its head office, Kolkata, seven regional centres (Port Blair, Shillong, Nagpur, Mysore, Dehradun, Udaipur, Kolkata), one sub-regional centre (Jagadalpur), three field stations Sagar, Ranchi, Visakhpatnam and camp office (New Delhi).  The National Archives of India is the custodian of the non-current records of the Government of India. It is the biggest repository of the non-current records in south east Asia. National Archives of India functions as an attached office of the Ministry of Culture. It is also the nodal agency for the implementation of the Public Records Act, 1993 and public records. It has one regional office at Bhopal and three records centres at Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Puducherry.  The National Library, Kolkata was originally known as the Imperial Library and was founded in 1891. After independence the name of the Library was changed to National Library.

Book by BestCurrentAffairs.com for IAS Prelims 2020  The Central Secretariat Library (CSL) originally known as Imperial Secretariat Library, Kolkata was established in 1891. Since 1969 the library has been housed at Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi. The library has two branches, namely, Hindi and regional languages wing popularly known as Tulsi Sadan Library, BestCurrentAffairs.com Bahawalpur House, New Delhi that houses about 1.9 lakh volumes of Hindi and 13 other constitutionally approved Indian regional language books and a text book library located at R.K. Puram, New Delhi.  Other important libraries include: Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation, Delhi Public Library, Rampur Raza Library and Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Libirary.  The Nehru Memorial and Museum and Library (Delhi) comprises a Museum on the life and times of Jawaharlal Nehru.  National Mission on Libraries has been set up by Ministry of Culture, in 2012 in pursuance of National Knowledge Commission recommendations for sustained attention for development of libraries and information science sector. Its component is the creation of National Virtual Library of India.  Performing Arts Grants Scheme is the flagship scheme of the Culture Ministry in the field of performing arts.  Tagore Cultural Complexes (TCC) is a revived and revamped version of erstwhile Multi Purpose Cultural Complexes Scheme. It was renamed on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore National Fellowship Scheme was introduced in order to invigorate and revitalise the various institutions under the Culture Ministry.  In April, 2006, Government of India, constituted a Gandhi Heritage Sites Panel with eminent Gandhians. Based on the recommendation of the Panel the ‘Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission’ with a fixed term of 5 years was created in 2013 with a total budget outlay of ₹ 42 crores. The period of Mission has been extended till March, 2020.  Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti was formed in 1984 by the merger of Gandhi Darshan at Rajghat and Gandhi Smriti, as an autonomous body, and is functioning under the financial support from the Ministry of Culture. The Prime Minister of India is its Chairperson. Gandhi Smriti is the place where Mahatma Gandhi lived the last 144 days of his life, and where the epic life of Gandhiji ended on January 30, 1948. The sprawling thirty-six acre campus came into existence in 1969 to mark the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Foreign Tourist Arivals (FTAs) during 2018 were 10.56 million (prov.) with a growth of 5.2 per cent over the same period of the previous year.  Creation of ‘Special Tourism Zones’ anchored on Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) is in partnership with the states.  As in December 2018, e-visa facility has been extended to the nationals of 167 countries under subcategories, i.e.—'e-Tourist visa’, ‘e-Business visa’, ‘e-Medical visa’, ‘e- Medical Attendant visa’ and ‘eConference visa’.  A National Medical and Wellness Tourism Board has been set up to work as an umbrella organisation to govern and promote medical tourism in India.  Task force on Adventure Tourism was formed in 2016 to resolve the issues related to adventure tourism which includes safety and security of tourists.  National Council for Hotel Management & Catering Technology (NCHMCT) steers and regulates the academic efforts of the IHMs and FCIs.  The Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) is an autonomous body under the Ministry with its headquarters at Gwalior. Its centres are at Bhubaneshwar, Nellore, Noida and Goa.  The Ministry of Tourism has set up the Indian Culinary Institute (ICI) at Tirupati, Andhra Pradeshn in 2016. The Ministry is also expanding the ICI, by opening its northern chapter at Noida.  An International Advertisement Campaign in electronic and digital media for 2016- 17 was launched globally. The Ministry of Tourism organizes Bharat Parv as part of the Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations.  For creation of tourism infrastructure, the Ministry of Tourism has two major plan schemes viz. Swadesh Darshan - Integrated Development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits and PRASAD- Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive for development of tourism infrastructure in the country including historical places and heritage cities.  Swadesh Darshan scheme: Under it thirteen thematic circuits have been identified for development, namely: North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.  Under PRASAD scheme, 25 sites of religious significance have been identified for development namely Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath (Uttarakhand), Dwarka (Gujarat), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Belur (West Bengal), Gaya (Bihar) , Guruvayoor (Kerala), Hazratbal (Jammu & Kashmir), Kamakhya (Assam), Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Puri (Odisha), Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Somnath (Gujarat), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu).  The first editon of the India Tourism Mart was organized in New Delhi. “Swachh Paryatan Mobile App” operated by the Ministry of Tourism for 25 Adarsh Smarak Monuments has been also made available Ministry of Tourism has launched an initiative for providing pre-loaded Sim Cards to foreign tourists arriving in India on e-Visa. This initiative was launched in 2017 in association with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., (BSNL).