Parliament Question: Preservation and Promotion of Tribal Cultural Heritage

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1289 ANSWERED ON 27.07.2026 PRESERVATION AND PROMOTION OF TRIBAL CULTURAL HERITAGE

1289. DR. KIRSAN NAMDEO:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has undertaken any survey or documentation of the tribal cultural heritage, archaeological sites, traditional art forms, folk music, dance, festivals and indigenous knowledge systems in the Gadchiroli-ChimurLokSabha Constituency under any scheme;

(b) the details of funds sanctioned, projects approved and cultural institutions supported in the said Constituency during the last five years and the current year, year-wise;

(c) whether the Government proposes to establish a Tribal Cultural Resource Centre, museum or interpretation centre for preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the tribal communities of the said region; and

(d) if so, the details thereof along with the proposed timeline and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) The Government of India has set up South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC), Nagpur and West Zone Cultural Centre (WZCC), Udaipur to protect, promote and preserve folk/ tribal culture including folk dance & music, traditional art forms etc. of their member States which include Maharashtra (Gadchiroli-ChimurLokSabha Constituency). These ZCCs organize various cultural activities and programmes on regular basis in their member States including the State of Maharashtra.

SCZCC has promoted the tribal folk dances 'Lingo' and 'Rela' of Gadchiroli by providing performance platforms through various programmes organized by them. SCZCC has also facilitated the participation of tribal artists from the region in regional and national cultural events to preserve and disseminate their traditional art forms, music, dance and indigenous cultural practices.

Besides, SangeetNatakAkademi (an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture) engaged fifty (50) artists belonging to Gond Tribe from the Gadchiroli- ChimurLokSabha Constituency to participate in the cultural performances during the Republic Day Parade, 2026.

Further, WZCC has documented the traditional cultural practices/ art forms of Maharashtra, namely Gondhal in 2020, Dhangiri Gaza in 2024 and PaithaniSaree in 2025 as part of its efforts to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the State.(b) The grant-in-aid released to these ZCCs to organize various cultural programmes/ activities in their member States including Maharashtra during the last five years and current

year is as under: (Rs. in lakh) Sl. No. Year SCZCC, Nagpur WZCC, Udaipur i. 2021-22 818.52 653.92 ii. 2022-23 1949.97 1452.49 iii. 2023-24 2198.85 1280.10 iv. 2024-25 1009.80 1129.00 v. 2025-26 2440.50 1333.00 vi. 2026-27 384.00 347.50 (as on date) Ministry of Culture administers a scheme namely “Financial Assistance for Promotion of Guru-Shishya Parampara (Repertory Grant)” under which financial support is provided to all genres of performing arts activities like dramatic groups, theatre groups, music ensembles, children theatre etc. and imparting training of artists by their respective Guru on regular basis in line with Guru–Shishya Parampara. As per the scheme, support is provided to 1 Guru and maximum 18 Shishyas in the field of theatre and 1 Guru and maximum 10 Shishyas in the field of music & dance. The number of beneficiaries and grant released/ funds disbursed under the scheme in respect of the State of Maharashtra duringlast five years and current year

are as under:

Sl. No. Year No. of Organizations Amount(Rs. in lakh) i. 2021-22 33 237.36 ii. 2022-23 41 307.66 iii. 2023-24 97 639.72* iv. 2024-25 59 333.05* v. 2025-26 88 713.40* vi. 2026-27 25 11.10* (as on date) *Amount authorized for withdrawal Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India also administers a scheme viz. “Financial Assistance to Cultural organizations with National Presence”, the objective of this scheme is to promote and support cultural organizations with national presence involved in promotion of art and culture throughout the country. This grant is given to such organisations that have a properly constituted managing body, registered in India, having a pan-India character with national presence in its operation, adequate working strength and have spent Rs. 1.00 crore or more during 3 of the last 5 years on cultural activities. The number of beneficiaries and grant released/ funds disbursed under the scheme in respect of the State of Maharashtra during last

five years are as under:

Sl. No. Year No. of Organizations Amount(Rs. in lakh) i. 2021-22 Nil 0.00 ii. 2022-23 Nil 0.00 iii. 2023-24 01 15.00 iv. 2024-25 01 18.75 v. 2025-26 04 61.25 Besides, Ministry of Culture runs Cultural Function & Production Grant (CFPG) Scheme, the objective of this scheme is to provide financial support to NGOs/ Societies/Trusts/ Universities etc. for Seminars, Conference, Research, Workshops, Festivals, Exhibitions, Symposia, Production of Dance, Drama-Theatre, Music etc. The number of beneficiaries and grant released/ funds disbursed under the scheme in respect of the State of

Maharashtra duringlast five years are as under:

Sl. No. Year No. of Organizations Amount(Rs. in lakh) i. 2021-22 27 63.63 ii. 2022-23 56 104.12 iii. 2023-24 34 29.64 iv. 2024-25 44 97.31 v. 2025-26 49 106.76

(c) & (d) No such proposal is under the consideration of Government. *****