Scheme Of Financial Assistance For The Preservation And Development Of Cultural Heritage Of The Himalayas

About Scheme Of Financial Assistance For The Preservation And Development Of Cultural Heritage Of The Himalayas

The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, runs the “Scheme of Financial Assistance for the Preservation and Development of Cultural Heritage of the Himalayas” to promote, protect, and preserve the cultural heritage of the Himalayan region — spanning the UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, along with Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh — through research, documentation, and dissemination. Mode of and Conditions for Release of Grants:

• Grants are given based on the Expert Advisory Committee’s appraisal and recommendation of applications, followed by administrative approval and financial concurrence from the competent authorities in the Ministry of Culture.
• Grants are paid in two equal installments — the first typically on project approval, and the second on project completion, once a duly audited statement of accounts showing utilization of the entire grant plus the grantee’s/State’s/UT’s share, along with other documents, is received. Release of the balance depends on actual expenditure incurred, up to the maximum limit.
• Any organization receiving assistance under the scheme must remain open to inspection by officers of the Ministry of Culture or the concerned State Government.
• Project accounts must be maintained properly and separately, submitted to the Government of India as required, and are subject to inspection by Central/State Government officers or the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, at their discretion.
• The organization must keep records of all assets acquired wholly or substantially through the Central Government grant, and cannot dispose of, encumber, or repurpose these without the Government of India’s prior approval.
• If the Government of India has reason to believe sanctioned funds aren’t being used for approved purposes, grant payments may be halted and earlier grants recovered.
• The organization must exercise reasonable economy while running the approved project.
• The grantee organization must submit a quarterly progress report to the Ministry of Culture, detailing physical achievements and expenditure against each approved item separately.
• The grantee must submit three bound copies of the Project Report along with Audio-Video CDs/Photographs to the Ministry of Culture, and one copy to the concerned State Government.
• Applications from organizations with a pending previous grant/Utilisation Certificate will not be considered.

Mode of Payment: All payments are made electronically. Special Provision: The Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) can recommend or reject any proposal, whether or not it carries a State Government/UT Administration/Local Administration recommendation, and may recommend an amount beyond the usual ceiling — up to ₹30.00 lakhs — for proposals of outstanding merit where the standard limit would be insufficient, subject to the Minister (Culture)’s approval and the concurrence of AS & FA, Ministry of Culture. Inspection & Monitoring: Ministry officials inspect at least 5% of cases every year, with the concerned State Government’s District Collector/Deputy Commissioner also monitoring. Penalties in case of Misutilisation of grants: The organization’s executive body members are liable for recovering misused grants. Misuse of funds, fake registration certificates, and similar violations lead to blacklisting, and any immovable assets created from Government grants are taken over by the local administration as directed by the Ministry of Culture.