The mission of the department is to preserve, promote and disseminate all forms of art and culture. In order to achieve this, the department undertakes the following activities:
- Maintenance and conservation of heritage, historic sites and ancient monuments
- Administration of libraries
- Promotion of literary, visual and performing arts
- Observation of centenaries and anniversaries of important national personalities and events
- Promotion of institutions and organizations of Buddhist and Tibetan studies
- Promotion of institutional and individual non-official initiatives in the fields of art and culture
- Entering into cultural agreements with foreign countries.
- The functional spectrum of the Department ranges from creating cultural awareness from the grass root level to the international cultural exchange level.