Culture and Tourism (INDIA 2018)
Lalit Kala Akademi, the National Academy of Art, was set up in 1954. Lalit Kala Akademi is the government’s apex cultural body in the field of visual arts in India. It is an autonomous body, which is fully funded by the Ministry of Culture.
In 1945, the Asiatic Society of Bengal submitted a proposal for the creation of a National Cultural Trust consisting of three academies-an academy of dance, drama and music; an academy .of letters and an academy of art and architecture. It led to the creation of three national academies after Independence.
The national Academy named Sangeet Natak Akademi, was the first of these entities to be established by a resolution of the Ministry of Education. Being the apex body specializing in the performing arts, the Akademi also advises and assists the Government of India in formulating and implementing policies and programmes in the field of the performing arts.
The National School of Drama (NSD)-one of the foremost theatre institutions in the world and the only one of its kind in India was set up by Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1959. Later in 1975, it became an autonomous organization, totally financed by Department of Culture.
Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters promotes literature in 24 languages of India recognized by it. It organizes programmes, confers Awards and Fellowships on writers in Indian languages and publishes books throughout the year and in 24 recognized languages.
Swadesh Darshan scheme has a vision to develop theme based tourist circuits on the principles of high tourist value, competitiveness and sustainability in an integrated manner by synergizing efforts to focus on needs and concerns of all stakeholders to enrich tourist experience and enhance employment opportunities. Under the scheme thirteen thematic circuits have been identified for development, namely: North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.
Under PRASAD scheme, 25 sites of religious significance have been identified for development namely Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh), Amritsar (Punjab), Ajmer (Rajasthan), Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), Badrinath (Uttarakhand), Dwarka (Gujarat), Deoghar (Jharkhand), Belur (West Bengal), Gaya (Bihar) , Guruvayoor (Kerala), Hazratbal (Jammu & Kashmir), Kamakhya (Assam), Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), Katra (Jammu & Kashmir), Kedarnath (Uttarakhand), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Patna (Bihar), Puri (Odisha), Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh), Somnath (Gujarat), Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra), Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) and Vellankani (Tamil Nadu).
