**Executive Summary**
On March 25, 2026, the Ministry of Culture and YouTube signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to amplify Indian traditional folk and tribal music on a global stage. The partnership aims to empower artists by providing digital tools, skilling, and infrastructure to build sustainable careers. Key actions include the formation of a joint task force to oversee the program and the implementation of structured training programs for musicians.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Strategic Objectives**
* Promote and amplify India's diverse folk and tribal music traditions to a global audience.
* Democratize access to digital platforms for artists from all regions of the country.
* Transition folk artists into self-reliant "independent creative entrepreneurs."
* Strengthen the creative economy through enhanced visibility and recognition of traditional art forms.
**Infrastructure and Support**
* Establishment of a joint task force to guide execution and conduct impact assessments.
* Provision of access to facilities and recording equipment through the Ministry’s autonomous institutions.
* Development of localized educational materials and the identification of mentors to support artist growth.
* Bridging gaps in digital distribution and awareness of rights within the modern content landscape.
**Digital Skilling and Monetization**
* Training for artists on digital content creation best practices and channel management.
* Guidance on monetization strategies and the management of intellectual property (IP) rights.
* Utilization of YouTube analytics to help artists understand and engage with global audiences.
**Impact Analysis**
**Folk, Tribal, and Traditional Musicians**
**Impact**
Artists will gain global visibility, access to professional recording infrastructure, and the digital skills necessary to build sustainable online careers. This initiative addresses long-standing challenges regarding digital distribution and rights awareness.
**Action Required**
Artists need to participate in structured training programs and utilize provided digital tools and facilities to create and manage their content.
**Ministry of Culture**
**Impact**
The Ministry fulfills its core mission of preserving and promoting cultural heritage while integrating modern technology into the creative economy.
**Action Required**
The Ministry must provide strategic leadership, oversight, and access to its network of autonomous institutions and regional connections.
**YouTube**
**Impact**
YouTube expands its role as a platform for cultural preservation and creator empowerment, combining its global reach with the Ministry’s infrastructure.
**Action Required**
YouTube will assist the Ministry and affiliated bodies in facilitating training sessions focused on content creation, copyright management, and analytics.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Culture: The primary government body providing strategic leadership, oversight, and infrastructure to promote Indian traditional folk and tribal music.
YouTube: The global digital platform partner providing technical training, monetization tools, and international reach for traditional folk artists.
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: The Union Minister for Culture and Tourism who presided over the initiative to empower India's creative economy and folk musicians.
Joint Task Force: A collaborative administrative body established by the Ministry and YouTube to guide program execution and conduct impact assessments.
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture and YouTube sign MoU to
amplify and champion Indian Traditional Folk and
Tribal Music on a global stage
Preserving and promoting India's diverse folk traditions are
the core missions for the Ministry of Culture: Shri Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat
Posted On: 25 MAR 2026 6:12PM by PIB Delhi
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged by the Ministry of Culture, Government of
India, with YouTube to promote and amplify Indian traditional folk and tribal music on a global stage in
New Delhi today. Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Vivek
Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Smt. Gunjan Soni, Managing Director – India, YouTube
graced the event.
Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that preserving and
promoting India's diverse folk traditions is a core mission for the Ministry of Culture. This collaboration
with YouTube represents a significant step forward in nurturing our creative economy and empowering
our artists. Our goal is to ensure folk musicians have the tools and platforms needed to achieve greater
visibility, sustainability, and recognition both nationally and globally, Union Minister added.Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture said that, the Ministry’s focus is on democratizing
access so that folk artists from all corners of the country can proudly uphold their culture and traditions,
while growing into independent creative entrepreneurs. Shri Aggarwal further added that by integrating
YouTube’s global reach with the Ministry’s scaled infrastructure, the Ministry is not just providing a stage,
but are helping lay the groundwork for millions of folk artists to become self-reliant and run successful
endeavours.
Commenting on the announcement, Gunjan Soni, Managing Director - India, YouTube, said that YouTube
is built to help artists and creators, from every corner of India, to share their talent with the world. Folk
music is a vibrant part of India's rich cultural tapestry, and this partnership with the Ministry of Culture is
an invaluable opportunity to preserve and amplify these essential traditions. She further mentioned that
YouTube is thrilled to combine the Ministry's deep cultural engagement and IMOC’s infrastructure with
its unique capacity to support and showcase artists on a global platform and democratize access for
creators everywhere. The goal is to empower these talented artists not just with digital skills, but with
sustainable pathways to connect with new audiences worldwide, build thriving careers online, and ensure
their invaluable art form resonates for generations to come, she added.
The initiative is aimed at empowering the country’s rich community of traditional and folk musicians by
providing them with access to digital tools, knowledge systems, and wider audiences. It focuses on
strengthening the ecosystem of Indian traditional and folk music through digital skilling, awareness of
intellectual property rights, enhanced collaboration opportunities, and sustainable career pathways for
artists.India’s folk, tribal and traditional music heritage, while diverse and vibrant, has often faced challenges in
terms of global visibility, digital distribution, and awareness of rights in the modern content landscape.
This initiative seeks to bridge these gaps by facilitating structured training programs, access to
infrastructure, and continuous institutional support.
The Ministry of Culture will provide strategic leadership and oversight for the program, focusing on the
folk music creative economy, with a joint task force guiding execution and impact assessment. Through
the Ministry's selected autonomous institutions of art and performance, this initiative will provide access
to facilities, including recording equipment where feasible, and regional connections, and will also co-
develop localized educational materials and identify mentors.
Under the MoU, YouTube will complement these efforts, by assisting the Ministry and its affiliated bodies
to facilitate training artists of folk, tribal and traditional on digital content creation best practices, channel
management, monetization strategies, copyrights management, and understanding audience insights
through YouTube analytics.
***
M Annadurai
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