Mera Gaon, Meri Dharohar Programme | 07 Feb 2024

For Prelims: Mera Gaon, Meri Dharohar Programme, National Mission on Cultural Mapping, Scheme of Financial Assistance for the Promotion of Art and Culture, Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs

For Mains: Government policies in Promoting the cultural heritage of India, Significance of Mera Gaon Mera Dharohar, National Mission on Cultural Mapping.

Source: PIB

Why in News?

The Government of India has decided to map and document all villages under the Mera Gaon, Meri Dharohar (MGMD) Programme.

  • The program seeks to compile comprehensive information detailing the life, history, and ethos of Indian villages and make it available to virtual and real-time visitors.
  • The Ministry of Culture is also implementing a Scheme of Financial Assistance for the Promotion of Art and Culture consisting of 8 components through which cultural organisations are given financial assistance for the promotion of art and culture.

What is the Mera Gaon, Meri Dharohar (MGMD) Programme?

  • The MGMD Programme is a national mission on cultural mapping conducted in coordination with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) under the Ministry of Culture.
    • A web portal on MGMD has also been launched. MGMD aims to compile comprehensive information about Indian villages, covering aspects of life, history, and ethos, accessible to both virtual and real-time visitors.
  • Under the MGMD, information is collected under seven broad categories:
    • Arts and Crafts Village
    • Ecologically Oriented Village
    • Scholastic Village linked with Textual and Scriptural Traditions of India
    • Epic Village linked with Ramayana, Mahabharata and/or Puranic legends and oral epics
    • Historical Village linked with Local and National History
    • Architectural Heritage Village
    • Any other characteristic that may need highlighting such as fishing village, horticulture village, shepherding village etc.
  • MGMD is a component of National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), undertaken as a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM).
  • Under the MGMD cultural mapping of 6.5 lakh villages is being carried out and more than 2 Lakh villages have already been mapped and uploaded on the Mission portal that serves as the National Cultural Work Place.

What is the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM)?

  • About:
    • NMCM has been set up by the Ministry of Culture, to identify and document India’s cultural heritage and its creative potential to regenerate and revitalise rural economies, thereby making Village India self-reliant.
    • The Cultural Mapping will function at three levels:
      • National Directories of artists and living human treasures of cultural industries.
      • Creation of National Digital Inventories/Registers of art expression and artist communities/bearers of tradition.
      • Evolve policies toward the preservation of art practices and develop welfare schemes for their practitioners.
  • Mission Mandate:
    • To create a national database through Cultural Mapping with the aid of extensive ground surveys and documentation.
    • To Preserve, safeguard, revitalise and disseminate the rich cultural heritage of this country for future generations.
    • To create a strong “Cultural Vibrancy” throughout the nation with the help of digital platforms and outreach activities.

What is the Scheme of Financial Assistance for the Promotion of Art and Culture?

  • It is a central sector scheme, that aims to support various cultural activities and organizations in the country. The scheme has 8 components, each with a different objective and funding amount.
  • The scheme for Financial Assistance for the Promotion of Art and Culture consists of 8 Components, they are:
    • Financial Assistance to Cultural organizations with National Presence:
      • Provide financial support to reputed cultural organizations with a national presence to disseminate and propagate art & culture.
      • This grant is given to such organizations that are properly constituted managing bodies registered in India with an All India Character and have adequate working strength and a track record of spending Rs. 1 crore or more during any 3 of the last 5 years on cultural activities.
      • Maximum Grant: Up to Rs. 1 crore.
    • Cultural Function & Production Grant (CFPG):
      • Provide financial support for various cultural activities including seminars, conferences, research, workshops, festivals, exhibitions, and productions.
      • Maximum Grant: Rs. 5 lakh, extendable up to Rs. 20 lakh under exceptional circumstances.
    • Financial Assistance for the Preservation & Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas:
      • Promote and preserve the cultural heritage of the Himalayas through research, training, and dissemination.
      • Funding: Rs. 10 lakhs per year for an organization, extendable up to Rs. 30 lakhs in exceptional cases.
    • Financial Assistance for the Preservation & Development of Buddhist/Tibetan Organisations:
      • Support voluntary Buddhist/Tibetan organizations, including monasteries, in propagating and developing Buddhist/Tibetan cultural traditions.
      • Funding: Rs. 30 lakhs per year for an organization, extendable up to Rs. 1 crore in exceptional cases.
    • Financial Assistance for Building Grants including Studio Theatres:
      • Provide financial support for creating cultural infrastructure such as studio theatres, auditoriums, rehearsal halls, etc.
      • Maximum Grant: Up to Rs. 50 lakh in metro cities and up to Rs. 25 lakh in non-metro cities.
    • Financial Assistance For Allied Cultural Activities:
      • Support organizations in creating assets to enhance audio-visual spectacles for cultural activities during festivals and major events.
      • Maximum Assistance: Audio: Rs. 1 crore, Audio+Video: Rs. 1.50 crore.
    • Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage:
      • This scheme was launched by the Ministry of Culture in 2013 to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage and diverse cultural traditions of India through revitalization and promotion.
    • Domestic Festivals and Fairs:

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Mains

Q.1 Safeguarding the Indian Art Heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss. (2018)