Question : VAISHAKHA SAKA PROMOTION OF INDIAN CULTURE

(a) the steps taken by the Government for preservation and promotion of Indian culture across the country during the last three years and the current year;

(b) the details of new programmes drawn up for promotion and dissemination of awareness about Indian culture during the above period;

(c) the amount of funds released to the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for the purpose during the above period;

(d) whether the Government received any complaints regarding misuse of funds by the NGOs; and

(e) if so, the action taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR PLANNING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY)

(a) The mandate of the Ministry of Culture is to preserve and promote all forms of Indian culture across the country. The activities undertaken in this regard are contained in the Annual Reports of the Ministry for the years 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-2010.

(b) The various schemes implemented by the Government involve Promotion of Culture and include the element of dissemination of awareness about Indian Culture. Besides this, the Government has carried out dissemination of awareness about Culture and related issues through advertisements and other campaigns both through Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Tourism. The attached and subordinate offices and autonomous institutions under the Ministry also undertake numerous activities to disseminate awareness about Indian Culture and Heritage.

(c) The total amount of funds released to Non Government organizations under various Schemes during the above period are as under:

Year Total Amount (in Rupees)

2007-08	34,22,64,479
2008-09	41,04,53,363
2009-10	49,11,82,239