Parliament Question: Conservation and Promotion of Local Culture in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.324 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026 CONSERVATION AND PROMOTION OF LOCAL CULTURE IN DHARMAPURI, TAMIL NADU

324. SHRI MANI A:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has identified and documented heritage sites, folk art traditions and tribal cultural practices in Dharmapuri district under any Central cultural preservation schemes;

(b) the details of the number of projects sanctioned and the funds released for conservation, documentation and promotion of local culture during the last three years and the current year;

(c) whether cultural infrastructure such as museums, cultural centres or craft clusters are being proposed for the district; and

(d) the details of the steps taken/being taken to link cultural preservation with tourism and sustainable income generation for local communities? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) There is 01 centrally protected monument namely Chennaraya Perumal Temple under the & jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Dharampuri District of Tamil

(b) Nadu State. ASI takes up conservation and preservation works as per the need and availability of resources subject to the National Policy for Conservation and it is a continuous process. The details of funds allocated and expenditure incurred for conservation, preservation and maintenance of Chennaraya Perumal Temple in

Dharampuri district during last three years and current year are given as under:- (Amount in Rupees) S. No. Year Allocation Expenditure incurred

1. 2022-23 1,94,996 1,94,996

2. 2023-24 1,60,502 1,60,502

3. 2024-25 7,14,560 7,14,560

4. 2025-26 35,67,778 35,67,778 Up to December 2025To protect, promote and preserve various forms of fork art and culture including local culture throughout the country, the Government of India has set up 7 Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs). South Zone Cultural Centres; Thanjavur is catering to the cultural needs of Tamil Nadu including Dharmapuri district. ZCCs organise various cultural activities and programmes on a regular basis all over India for which annual grant-in-aid is

provided to them. The grant-in-aid released to all the 7 ZCCs during the last 3 years is as

under:- (Amount in Lakhs) S. No. Year Amount released

1. 2022-23 6572.06

2. 2023-24 11967.57

3. 2024-25 11121.66 Details of projects undertaken by Ministry of Tourism under different schemes for conservation and promotion of local culture are given in Annexure-I.

(c) At present, there is no such proposal under consideration.

(d) All the ZCCs organize workshops, exhibitions and exchanges. These not only preserve local art forms but bring tourists into rural and regional areas, helping artists and communities to earn directly from cultural exchanges.

Also, the Ministry of Tourism has been undertaking a range of initiatives to link cultural preservation with tourism and sustainable income generation for local communities through the Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Swadesh Darshan Scheme 2.0, Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) sub-scheme and the ‘Development of Home-stays in Tribal Areas’ sub-scheme under Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-JUGA). Further, under the ‘Development of Home-stays in Tribal Areas’ sub-scheme, 100% Central financial assistance is provided for construction and renovation of rooms and for village community requirements, enabling local households to offer home stay facilities to tourists and earn supplementary income while promoting local culture, traditions and heritage.Annexure-I STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) & (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 324 FOR 02.02.2026 Under Swadesh Darshan (SD), projects sanctioned under Heritage, Tribal and Rural Circuits focus on conservation of heritage assets, development of cultural infrastructure, interpretation centers, craft bazaars and visitor amenities, thereby enabling local artisans, performers and community groups to derive livelihood from tourism. Following projects are

sanctioned and completed with respect to heritage circuits:

1. Heritage Circuits - Tezpur – Majuli – Sibsagar (Assam)

2. Ahmedabad – Rajkot – Porbandar – Bardoli – Dandi (Gujarat)

3. Vadnagar – Modhera (Gujarat)

4. Gwalior – Orchha – Khajuraho – Chanderi – Bhimbetka – Mandu (Madhya Pradesh)

5. Franco–Tamil Village, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam (Puducherry)

6. Anandpur Sahib – Fatehgarh Sahib – Chamkaur Sahib – Ferozpur – Khatkar Kalan – Patiala (Punjab) Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD), experience-based projects such as cultural haats, heritage and cultural centers, heritage villages, immersive heritage experiences and tribal cultural experience zones are being developed to showcase living traditions, local crafts, music, dance and cuisine while creating employment opportunities for local communities.

Following projects are sanctioned under SD 2.0 which promotes heritage and culture:

1. Mechuka Cultural Haat, Arunachal Pradesh

2. Heritage and Cultural Centre, Champhai, Mizoram

3. Tribal Cultural Experience at Midway Retreat, Chumoukedima, Nagaland

4. Gangtok Cultural Village, Sikkim

5. Tripura Heritage Village & Sangeet Experience, Agartala, Tripura

6. Immersive Experience at Shore Temple, Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu Further under CBDD scheme, following projects are sanctioned pertaining to culture and

heritage:

1. Enriching Buddhist Heritage and Cultural Experiences at Nagarjuna Sagar, Andhra Pradesh

2. Transformation of Sharmishtha Lake: Light & Culture, Vadnagar, Gujarat

3. Development of Kaza, Himachal Pradesh

4. Development of Bidar as a Heritage Tourism Destination, Karnataka

5. Mandu – A Medieval Wonder, Madhya Pradesh

6. ⁠Development of Ancient Capital of Manipur, Langthabal Konug, Manipur

7. ⁠Mawphlang Cultural & Heritage Centre, Meghalaya

8. ⁠White Town Development, Puducherry

9. ⁠Cultural Landscape at Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh -----