What are Zonal Cultural Centres?

 About Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs):

• The centres have been set up at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur, and Thanjavur.
• Government of India has provided annual grant-in-aid to conduct art programmes at these centres.
• The ministry also organises Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsavs (RSMs) through these ZCCs where a large number of artistes from all over India are engaged to showcase their talents.
• These ZCCs also organise a minimum 42 Regional Festivals for promotion of art and culture every year as per their programme calendar.
• For proper storage of the treasure of knowledge for posterity, several art forms including the vanishing ones are being documented by these ZCCs.
• Number of arts forms have been documented in digital format (both audio and video formats).
• Further, for preservation and promotion of various folk arts & culture of the country, these ZCCs also implement a number of schemes viz. Award to Young Talented Artists, Guru Shishya Parampara, Theatre Rejuvenation, Research and Documentation, Shilpgram, OCTAVE and National Cultural Exchange Programme.

 

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Q1) What is Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav?

The Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is an annual festival since 2015 that celebrates India's vibrant and diverse culture. It is organised by the Ministry of Culture's seven zonal cultural centres. Every year, this national cultural festival, which travels to different states and cities across India, attracts many renowned artists and spectators.

Source: All India Radio