Mr Victor Baa (US), NAI, Shastri Bhawan, Phone No: 23382371.

It is imperative that to improve the quality of our life, young people be made sensitive to what is aesthetically and morally good in our society. This can be done by exposing them to the finest forms of creative expression from an early age. Cultural complexes for children will provide these avenues for our young people. Multi-purpose cultural complexes of general nature will foster and co-ordinate activities in the state in the different cultural fields such as music, drama, dance, literature, fine arts etc. and promote through them the cultural unity of the country.

Under the scheme financial assistance will be provided to an autonomous body, set up by the State Government and registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. These multi-purpose Art and Cultural Complexes will work as centers of excellence in creative arts and or impart training to young talent. They will serve as major resource centre for the region. The basic infrastructure may include any or all of the following; Auditoria, library, museum, exhibition, art gallery, open air theatre, recording studios, Research and documentation relating to preservation and dissemination of culture will also be supported. This list is not exhaustive.

An autonomous body registered under the Societies Registration Act and set up by the State Government will be eligible. The concerned State Government will make land available free of cost. The State Government’s nominee and also nominee of Government of India will be on the Board of Management to administer and run the complex. The initiative to set up the complex must come from the State Government.

A sum of upto Rs 1.00 crore (one crore) will be given as a one time grant by the Government of India to the concerned autonomous body. All recurring expenditure will be met by the State Government itself. The Grant will be released in four equal installments based on progress of the project.

Conditions of the Grant:

• The concerned State Government will have to approach the Government of India with the detailed project report including preliminary item-wise cost estimates, time phasing of implementation, staff requirements, functions of the proposed complex, its spread and coverage etc.
• On receiving the Government of India's approval to the project, the State Government will set up an autonomous organization registered under the Societies Registration Act. Land provided by the State will be transferred in the name of the Registered Society. The Society's constituent units and its constitution and memorandum of association will have to be framed. The representatives of the Central Government will be nominated by the Government of India on the various bodies of this organization, for example, General Council, Finance Committee, Executive Board etc. The State Government nominees will be nominated by it. Representative drawn from a cross-section of the artist community as also eminent persons in various cultural fields will be nominated on these bodies.
• The autonomous organization, after being set up will be responsible for drawing up detailed designs and architectural drawings keeping in view the objectives of the complex. These will have to be approved by the Govt. of India.
• While selecting projects under the grant, the Government of India will study the existing culture scheme in the concerned State and if such a cultural complex already exists in the State-whether it is part of the state machinery or autonomous, duplication of work and resources will be avoided and no additional complex will be sanctioned.
• Separate Accounts shall be maintained in respect of the grant released by the Central Government.
• The accounts of the Institution shall be open to audit at any time by the CAG of India or his nominee at his discretion.
• The organization shall submit to the Govt. of India its Statement of Accounts audited by a Chartered Accountant, setting out the expenditure incurred on the approved project and indicating utilization of the Govt. grant.
• The grantee organization will be open to a review of the Government of India, Department of Culture in any manner decided by it as and when deemed necessary.
• The institution shall exercise reasonable economy in its works.
• The first lien on the building and assets acquired with Central assistance will vest in the President of India and neither the building nor the equipment shall be leased or mortgaged to other parties without the prior approval of the Government of India provided however, that the lease of the auditorium to other parties for temporary use shall be excluded from this rule.
• Such other conditions as may be imposed by the Government from time to time.

All proposals received from State Government will be submitted for recommendations of an Expert Committee to be constituted for this purpose by the Department of Culture. The committee shall be competent to determine such other terms and conditions as shall be considered necessary.

• Objectives of setting up of multi purpose cultural complexes in State should be clearly defined. It must aim to promote, disseminate and support excellence in creative arts, literature etc.
• The grant should be released to only the Autonomous Organizations, Societies to be set up by the State Governments under the Societies Registration Act.
• The complexes should necessarily have facilities like (a) Art Gallery to exhibit the arts of local artists (b) Restaurant (c) a library of music (d) a theatre of 300-500 persons capacity (e) an open air theatre of up to 500 capacity (f) Work shop for producing its own shows (g) space for traveling, exhibitions (h) Seminar rooms and (i) Library.
• The programmes should be organized in such a way that all the facilities available are fully utilized throughout the year.
• The maximum grant which could be given to one state will be Rs. 1.00 crore (one crore) from the scheme, provided that 50% of the expenditure is met by the State Government.
• Land should be provided by the State Government free of cost to the Autonomous Body set up the State Government under the Societies Registration Act.
• Zonal Cultural Centers set up the Department of Culture as also the three National Academies of Performing Art, Literary art and Visual Art would be associated by the Autonomous body in drawing the calendar of events as also for other purposes.
• The autonomous body should agree to develop its own shows in various fields for which a provision of Work Shop should be made in the Complex.
• It should be ensured that full autonomy is given to the Autonomous Executive Board, General Council, and Financial Committee etc. having eminent artists as its members with representative each of Central and State Government in each of those bodies.
• State Government should given an undertaking in the beginning itself that they will provide necessary funds to the Autonomous Bodies for its day-to-day activities / running the Complexes.
• The Central Government's Liability will be only for providing infrastructural facilities and this will be only one time grant.
• The grantee shall execute a bond in the prescribed form in favor of the President of India providing therein that he will abide by the conditions of the grant. In the event of his failing to comply with the conditions of grant by committing a breach of bond of the grant for such amount, it may be decided by the Government of India to recover the grant with interest thereon at the prevailing borrowing rate of the Government of India and charge penal rate of interest in case of delay as fixed by the Government of India.
• Separate accounts shall be maintained by the institution / Organization in respect of expenditure incurred out of this grant / assistance.
• The accounts of the Organization / institution will be open to audit at any time by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or his nominee at his discretion.
• The institution shall exercise reasonable economy in its working specially in respect of implementation of the project for which financial assistance is granted.
• All the beneficiary institution / organizations under the Scheme are required to send their progress report within six months of the sanction of the grant and subsequently for every three months i.e. on a quarterly basis till the completion of the project.
• The grant released will not be used for the

1. Administrative Building.
2. Guest Room cum Restaurant.
3. Director's Bungalow.
4. Residential Quarters (type IV)
5. Residential Quarters (type III)
6. Residential Quarters (type II)
7. Security Hut.
8. Water Reservoir.
9. Typical Mizo Village.