open view news desk

The aim of National Culture Fund (NCF) is to establish and nurture partnerships in the field of Culture and Heritage between private and public sectors, government, non-government agencies, private institutions and foundations and mobilize resources for the restoration, conservation, protection and development of India’s rich, natural, tangible and intangible heritage.

The following are some of the major objectives of NCF:

1. to administer and apply the Fund for conservation, maintenance, promotion, protection, preservation and up gradation of monuments protected or otherwise;
2. for the training and development of a cadre of specialists and cultural administrators
3. for innovations and experiments in arts
4. for documentation of cultural expressions and forms that have lost their relevance in contemporary scenario and are either fading out or facing extinction.

The Government had granted Rs.19.50 crore as one time corpus fund to National Culture Fund out of the planned budget. Apart from this, there is no fund allocated by the Government to National Culture Fund. Besides this, NCF receives contributions and voluntary donations as endowments from many other sources. The details, as on 31st March, 2018, are as below:

Primary Corpus         –   Rs. 19.50 Crore

Interest on Corpus    –    Rs. 27.32 Crore

Project Funds           –   Rs.  22.04 Crore

Total                        –   Rs. 68.86 Crore

NCF helped in protecting, promoting and preserving India’s culture by mobilizing resources by approaching various PSUs, Banks, Corporate/Companies for seeking their participation under the corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to preserve/protect India’s cultural heritage.

Under NCF, it is possible for a donor to identify project along with any specific location aspects for funding and also an agency for execution of the project.The NCF received proposals from reputed agencies like the Archaeological Survey of India (the nodal agency for conservation, preservation and up gradation of monuments of national importance) for tangible projects and other agencies promoting intangible culture, for being taken forward for partnership with Public Sector Undertakings and Private Sector Enterprises.The NCF had also undertaken some intangible projects on publications, documentaries, capacity building and training programs for artists and photo exhibitions.

The above information was given by Minister of State (independent charge) for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate change Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in reply to an Unstarred Question in the Rajya Sabha, today.