Government organizes Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs and various cultural activities every year throughout the country to promote culture: Prahlad Singh Patel
New Delhi: To promote the culture of our country, the Government of India has organized Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs) in New Delhi (November, 2015 and October, 2016), Varanasi (December, 2016), Bengaluru & Tawang (March, 2017), Gujarat (October, 2017), Karnataka (January, 2018) and Madhya Pradesh (February, 2018). Other major festivals viz. Sanskriti Mahotsav at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (February, 2018), Kabir Festival ‘Anhaad Naad’ at Maghar, Uttar Pradesh (June, 2018) and Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh (January to March, 2019) were also organized.
In addition to these Mahotsavs & Festivals, all the Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) also organize various cultural activities and programmes on regular basis throughout the country for promotion of culture for which annual grant-in-aid is given to them by the Government of India.
To protect, preserve & promote various forms of folk art and for creating awareness among people about cultural heritage of our country, the Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur. To promote cultural development programmes, Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) at Kolkata is undertaking various cultural activities and events in its member States including Jharkhand. The EZCC has organized Rabindra Jayanti, International Day of Yoga, Jagannathpur Mahotsav, Swachhata Pakhwada, 150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Workshops on Kathak & Seraikela Chhau Dance, Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and Jharkhand Rajya Sthapana Divas during 2018-19.
These ZCCs are implementing a number of schemes viz. Award to Young Talented Artistes, Guru Shishya Parampara Scheme, Theatre Rejuvenation Scheme, Research & Documentation Scheme, Shilpgram Scheme, Octave and J&K Festivals and National Cultural Exchange Programme (NCEP) for promotion of cultural development programmes in the country.
This information was given by Union Minister of State (I/C) for Culture & Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
