Promotion of Tribal Art and Culture

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs runs a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, Research & Training-Grants-in-Aid to Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs), under which funds are provided to the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations for various activities performed by these institutes which include, conducting research on different aspects of tribal life including their languages and art and culture and also setting up of tribal museums for exhibiting tribal artifacts and promotion of tribal culture. 

 

The Scheme does not envisage direct assistance to tribal artists. Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in collaboration with Ministry of Culture also organizes a National Tribal Festival to showcase a holistic picture of tribal culture and heritage in all its vibrancy and colour. The Festival provides glimpses of rich cultural heritage through unique forms of tribal folk dances. 

 

 The Ministry of Tribal Affairs also supports State Government/ Union Territories in organizing tribal festivals in their own environment. The Ministry of Culture has no specific scheme exclusively for providing financial assistance to tribal artists. 

 

 The financial assistance by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to the States/UTs for Tribal Research Institutes/Organizing Tribal Festivals during each of the last three years and the current year, scheme-wise and State/UT-wise are annexed. 

 

The scheme is in ongoing scheme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for the promotion of art and culture of tribals. Sahitya Academy, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, has a project office namely. North East Centre for Oral Literature (NECO) at Agartala exclusively for the cause of promotion and upliftment of tribal culture. 

 

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, inter alia, undertakes research and documentation on the contextual aspects of culture including life style, oral traditions, and folkore and art practices of communities including tribal art and culture. The Zonal Cultural Centres, inter-alia, make special efforts to encourage tribal arts. The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya carries out programmes for popularization of cultures of India, of which preservation and promotion of art and culture of tribes living in different areas of the country is an important and integral part. 

 

The Anthropological Survey of India carries out anthropological research, covering various social, cultural and biological aspects of the people of India. There are eight zonal museums in the country, which display artifacts belonging to different communities of India, many of which focus on tribal communities and their culture.