Citing fund shortage, the Finance Ministry has put on hold the Tourism Ministry's ambitious Rs3000-crore project envisaging creation of a data base of all the artists of varied forms of art and culture in the country in the next five years.
The Ministry had sought Rs100 crore for 2016-17 to kick-off the project wherein about 10,000 volunteers would cover each village in a year, organising programmes/competitions in the village in nearly 100 art disciplines to identify the artists. However, sources said that the Finance Ministry has thrown a spanner for now for the execution of scheme, citing fund crunch.
When asked about the status of the project, Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma confirmed that the project has been put on hold. "But we are trying to work on it," he said recently while talking to a group of reporters at his Rajaji Marg residence.
Sources said that the project 'Cultural Mapping of India' aimed to carry out a survey on cultural topography of the country.
Various meetings were held with the experts to conceptualize the project. The work of entry of data of artists was assigned to Delhi-based Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT).
The Ministry had plans to develop a web portal to be served as an artist repository and which can be used in future for the purpose of providing grant-in aid under various cultural schemes administered by this Ministry.
A senior official from the Ministry said that the cultural mapping of artists would help in streamline the existing system of identifying and nurturing the upcoming artists which has so far being carried out by way of grant of scholarships, fellowships, pensions, and other forms of grants/assistance.
However, the survey could consolidate the data at one place in a systematic manner and help us to streamline and rationalize various financial grant schemes being implemented by the Ministry for artists and cultural organisations, and ensure effectiveness, transparency and value for money, he explained.
Under the scheme, the Ministry has proposed to conduct competitions at the Panchayat level, block level, district level and State level with winning artists getting cash prizes of Rs10,00,000 at national level, Rs5,00,000 as second prize, Rs3,00,000 as third prize and Rs50,000 as consolation prize for five artists.
Atleast 20 per cent of the reward would be given to the guru who mentored the winner. A total of 800 artists will be selected each year, the official added.