Culture Ministry

161.34 sq km of land available with Archaeological Survey of India: Govt

The total land available with the Archaeological Survey of India is 161.34 sq km according to the Government Land Information System (GLIS) portal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Parliament was informed on Monday. Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha. "ASI has 161.19 sq km land available around the Centrally Protected Monuments/Sites and 0.15 sq km of office building/staff quarters belonging to 39 Circles/Mini-Circle of the ASI. Hence, the total land available with ASI is 161.34 sq km as per the Government Land Information System (GLIS) portal of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs," he said. He was asked about the details of land belonging to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the country, with state-wise details. Asked whether any state government agencies or public sector enterprises have encroached the land of ASI, the minister responded, "Yes". In his response, he shared state-wise data

Centre planning to set up National Public Health Museum soon: Report

In the project, the ministry of health is expected to collaborate with the ministry of culture

Centre spent Rs 27,000 lakh on conservation, preservation of cultural sites

The central government has spent Rs 26,957.32 lakh on conservation, preservation and maintenance of monuments and sites of national importance in 2021-22, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, in a written response to a query, also shared data on the revenue generated through entry fee at monuments and sites at 143 locations in the country during the last three years. There are 3,696 centrally-protected monuments in the country which fall under the purview of the Archaeological Survey of India, including 743 sites in Uttar Pradesh, 506 in Karnataka, and 412 in Tamil Nadu. Reddy also shared details on the expenditure on conservation, preservation and maintenance of monuments and sites of national importance during last three years. In 2019-20, the figures stood at Rs 43,538.76 lakh while the corresponding figures for 2020-21 was Rs 26,083.41 lakh, and Rs 26,957.32 lakh for 2021-22, according to the data shared.

India-Egypt MoU on cultural cooperation signed for five years: Govt

The pact on cultural cooperation signed between India and Egypt will entail a range of activities being hosted in both the countries, including in the fields of music, dance, theatre, library and research and documentation. For continued cultural cooperation, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for a period of five years, the Union Culture Ministry said in a statement on Friday. The MoU was signed and exchanged on January 25 by Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy and Arab Republic of Egypt Foreign Minister Sameh Hassan Shoukry in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, it said. "Both countries look forward to witness a host of cultural activities happening in due course in the realm of music, dance, theatre, literature, library, organising festivals in respective countries and research and documentation, etc," the statement said. The MoU was signed to strengthen the cultural ties with Egypt. Reddy had participat

Revamped Monument Mitra scheme to be launched soon: Union Culture Secy

The government will soon launch a revamped version of the Monument Mitra scheme under which the Culture Ministry will seek partnerships with private industries for the upkeep of 1,000 ASI monuments and hold light and sound shows among other activities, a top official said Wednesday. Interacting with reporters here, Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan also said, "Our target is to have MoUs signed with partners for 500 sites under the revamped Monument Mitra scheme by August 15 when the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav ends." The Monument Mitra scheme was launched a few years ago under the Ministry of Tourism which entails adopting a site for upkeep and other related activities. The Monument Mitra scheme was transferred from the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of Culture a few months ago, Mohan said. The revamped Monument Mitra scheme, along with its website will be launched soon, he said, adding, the scheme will be based on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The website will have t

PM Modi condoles the demise of noted Lavani singer Sulochana Chavan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condoled the demise of noted Marathi Lavani singer and Padma Shri awardee Sulochana Chavan

Odisha to host G20 sub-committee meet on education, culture, energy next yr

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said three G20 sub-committee meetings on education, energy and culture will be held in Odisha next year. Pradhan was speaking during an anniversary celebration of a regional media house here. The Union Education minister and G20 sub-committee meetings on education, energy and culture will be held in Odisha in April next year. State's Heritage town Konark and Bhubaneswar are likely to be among the venues for 200 such meetings to be held in the run-up to the main summit. On December 1, India assumed the presidency of the G20 forum, taking over from Indonesia.

India to showcase Nagaland's Hornbill Festival as it assumes G20 presidency

"India's G20 is an opportunity for the state of Nagaland to showcase its cultural diversity, uniqueness, and tourism potential," Shringla said

128 artists to receive Sangeet Natak Akademi awards for 2019, 2020, 2021

The Sangeet Natak Akademi on Friday announced the list of 10 Akademi fellows and 128 artists who will receive the prestigious Akademi Puraskar for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama elects eminent personalities in the field of performing arts as Akademi Fellows. The fellows are: Bharatnatyam dancer Saroja Vaidyanathan, Kathakali exponent Sadanam Krishnan Kutty, Manipuri dancer Darshana Jhaveri, classical vocalist Chhannu Lal Mishra, Carnatic clarinet player AKC Natarajan, tabla player Swapan Chaudhuri, classical singer Malini Rajurkar, Carnatic and Hindustani musician TV Gopalakrishnan, folk singer Teejan Bai, and musicologist Bharat Gupt. "The fellowship of the Akademi is the most prestigious and rare honour, which is restricted to 40 at any given time. With the election of ten fellows, there are presently 39 fellows of Sangeet Natak Akademi," it said in a statement. The general council of Sangeet Natak Akademi also selected 128 artists from the fi

Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya to have gallery on PM Modi; open in Jan 2023

The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya will soon have a gallery on present Prime Minister Narendra Modi which is scheduled for public viewing in January 2023, the Ministry of Culture said on Thursday. A light and sound show is also planned next month with the opening episode on the country's space programme. "A new gallery on present Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being added to the Sangrahalaya. It is scheduled for public viewing in January 2023," the ministry said in a statement. The Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya which opened to the public in April this year has received 1,15,161 visitors till September 30, with as many as 3,233 visitors on October 15, it said. Prominent national leaders, including the president, vice president, prime minister, home minister, finance minister and other Union Cabinet ministers, chief ministers, members of higher judiciary, diplomats and other dignitaries have visited the Sangrahalaya. The ministry also listed remarks made by prominent dignitaries after the

As Ukrainian soup borscht gets Unesco tag, a look at what it really means

A tradition does not have to be popular, aesthetically appealing or even have any value in the modern world. It just needs to have value for the community, accord­ing to Unesco

India has widespread tradition of 'vaad vivaad', 'samvaad': President

President Ram Nath Kovind said on Monday that India has had a "widespread tradition of 'vaad-vivaad' and 'samvaad' and today, we need to reconnect with that heritage.

Culture, creative sectors can drive growth: Meenakshi Lekhi at G20 meet

Culture and creative sectors can drive growth by generating employment, reducing inequalities and promoting development in a sustainable manner, said Meenakashi Lekhi

Netaji's birthday to be marked as 'Parakram Diwas' every year: Govt

The announcement assumes significance ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled later this year

Govt issues guidelines for reopening museums, art galleries, exhibitions

The Ministry of Culture on Thursday issued guidelines for re-opening of museums, art galleries and exhibitions chalking out measures to contain the spread of Covid-19

Disband expert committee to study Indian culture: 32 MPs to President

The expert committee was set up to study the origin and evolution of Indian culture dating back to 12,000 years

ASI monuments to be reopened from July 6 with compliance of state govts

The minister said all coronavirus-related protocols issued by the Union health ministry would be followed by the monument authorities

Delhi's Humayun Tomb among ten monuments to be open for visitors till 9 pm

At present, gates of most monuments are closed for visitors by 6 p.m.

5,000 vacancies in 45 organisations under Culture Ministry

The Minister said the posts which remained vacant were mostly those of archaeologists and conservationists