(a) whether the Government has reviewed the activities of Indian Cultural Centres located in other countries;
(b) if so, the time when the review was undertaken last and the outcome thereof; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government in the light of the outcome of the review?
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI S.M. KRISHNA)
(a) to (c): The activities undertaken by Indian Cultural Centres abroad include holding
of classes in Indian dance and music, Hindi and Yoga, arranging performances by visiting
groups from India, facilitating admission of foreign students into Indian Universities under
Indian Council for Cultural Relations’ (ICCR) scholarship Schemes, arranging seminars and
conferences, reaching out to creative Centres in the country where they are located and
running a regular programme of events to facilitate the promotion and projection of Indian
Culture in all its facets. The entire range of activities of the Centres is monitored on a
regular basis through an institutionalized system of monthly reporting by these Centres. The
reports are carefully scrutinized at the ICCR. These Centres function as an integral part of
Indian Missions abroad and hence their activities are also continuously monitored by the Head
of Mission in the country concerned. Based on the ongoing process of monitoring and review,
several steps have been taken for a continuous up-gradation in the quality, content and reach
of the activities of the Cultural Centres. The activities of the Cultural Centres have resulted
in a significant expansion of India’s cultural outreach overseas.