Executive Summary:
This document presents the Ministry of Culture's response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3470 on 11.08.2025, addressing the Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists scheme. It details eligibility criteria, proposals received, actions taken, reasons for rejection, and efforts to mitigate hardships faced by beneficiaries. The scheme does not provide a pension but offers financial assistance to eligible veteran artists.
Key Points / Main Content:
Scheme Overview:
* The Ministry of Culture administers the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists.
* The scheme provides financial assistance, not a pension, to eligible veteran artists.
Eligibility Criteria:
* Significant contribution to specialized fields of art.
* Minimum age of 60 years.
* Annual income not exceeding Rs. 72,000.
* Receipt of artist pension of at least Rs. 500 per month from the State Government/UT Administration, OR verification and recommendation by the concerned Zonal Cultural Centre (ZCC), Ministry of Culture.
* Not receiving financial assistance under any other scheme of the Ministry of Culture.
Proposals and Applications:
* Annexure I details the State-wise number of proposals received over the last five years.
* Specific data is provided for proposals received from Maharashtra, including the number of artists, proposals received, approved, rejected, and the amount disbursed from 2020-2025.
* District-wise data of beneficiaries is not available.
* Annexure II details the state/UT wise disbursement and the number of beneficiaries
Disbursement of Assistance:
* Release of assistance depends on the submission of mandatory documents like Digital Life Certificate (DLC) and annual income certificate.
* Efforts are made to expedite disbursement upon receipt of required documents.
Application Approval/Rejection:
* Annexure III shows the number of applications approved and rejected, State/UT-wise, including Maharashtra and Kerala, over the last five years.
* Incomplete applications lacking recommendations or artistic credentials are rejected.
Proposals from Members of Parliament:
* The Ministry received 35 proposals from Members of Parliament from Maharashtra in the last three years.
* Details of actions taken on these proposals, including rejections, recommendations, and proposals under review, are provided.
Efforts to Mitigate Hardships:
* Financial assistance increased from Rs. 4000 to Rs. 6000 per month, effective June 2022.
* Income certificate submission required once every five years instead of annually.
* The requirement for artists to have a pension of at least Rs. 500 from State Govt./UT Administration has been relaxed, allowing for ZCC verification.
* An MoU was signed with Canara Bank on 28.06.2023 to ensure smooth and timely disbursal.
Impact Analysis:
Veteran Artists:
* Impact: Beneficiaries receive enhanced financial assistance and relaxed documentation requirements, easing their financial burdens.
* Action Required: Submit required documents (DLC, income certificate) as per the updated schedule to ensure continued assistance.
State Governments/UT Administrations:
* Impact: Need to coordinate with the Ministry of Culture for verification and recommendation of artists.
* Action Required: Ensure timely verification and recommendation of artists' credentials to support their applications.
Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC):
* Impact: Given a role in verifying and recommending artists who do not receive a pension from the State Government/UT Administration.
* Action Required: Conduct thorough verification of artistic credentials for applicants without a pension.
Ministry of Culture:
* Impact: Manages increased financial assistance and revised documentation processes.
* Action Required: Ensure efficient processing of applications, timely disbursement of funds, and effective coordination with Canara Bank.
Canara Bank:
* Impact: Responsible for the smooth and timely disbursal of financial assistance to selected artists.
* Action Required: Adhere to the terms of the MoU to facilitate efficient disbursement.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Culture: The Indian government ministry responsible for administering the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists.
Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists: A scheme administered by the Ministry of Culture to provide financial assistance to eligible veteran artists.
Maharashtra: A state in India from which a significant number of proposals were received under the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists. Several proposals were also received from Members of Parliament of Maharashtra.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India. The Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh is specifically mentioned in relation to artists receiving financial assistance.
Kerala: A state in India from which applications were received and where artists are receiving financial assistance under the scheme.
Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: The Minister of Culture and Tourism who provided the answer to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question.
Canara Bank: The bank that signed an MoU with the Ministry of Culture on 28.06.2023 to ensure smooth and timely disbursal of financial assistance to the selected artists.
Zonal Cultural Centre: An organisation under the Ministry of Culture that verifies and recommends artistic credentials for applicants who are not recipients of artists' pensions from their State Government/UT Administration.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3470
ANSWERED ON 11.08.2025
‘Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists Scheme’
3470. Dr. Bachhav Shobha Dinesh
Shri Imran Masood and
Shri M K Raghavan
Will the MINISTER OF CULTURE be pleased to state:
(a) the details and the eligibility criteria for giving pension to veteran/elderly artists in the
country who have gained recognition in fields such as art, music, dance, theatre etc.;
(b) the number of proposals received by the Government under the Financial Assistance for
Veteran Artists scheme during the last five years, State/UT-wise;
(c) the number of applications received from Maharashtra and action taken thereon during
the last five years along with the artists receiving financial assistance under the said
scheme State/UT-wise including Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala;
(d) whether the Government has noticed significant delay in the disbursement of financial
assistance under the said scheme and if so, the details and the reasons therefor;
(e) the number of applications approved and rejected during the last five years along with
the reasons of the rejection, State/UT-wise particularly in Maharashtra and Kerala;
(f) whether the Government has received any proposals from any Member of Parliament
from Maharashtra for the same, if so, the details thereof and the action taken by the
Government thereon; and
(g) the details of special efforts made by the Government to mitigate the hardships of the
beneficiaries in earning their livelihood under the said scheme?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)
(a) Ministry of Culture administers a scheme by the name of ‘Scheme for Financial
Assistance for Veteran Artists’, under which financial assistance is provided to the eligible
veteran artists. Assistance provided under the scheme is not any kind of pension to these
artists. Following are the eligibility criteria for providing financial assistance under the
scheme:
i. The applicant artist should have contributed significantly in their specialized fields of
arts, letters etc. in their active age or are still contributing;
ii. The applicant artist should not be less than 60 years of age;iii. Annual income of the applicant must not exceed Rs. 72,000/-;
iv. The applicant artist should be a recipient of artists pension of at least Rs. 500/- per
month from the concerned State Government/UT Administration, or the artistic
credentials of the applicant is verified and recommended by the concerned Zonal
Cultural Centre (ZCC), Ministry of Culture.
v. The applicant artist should not be getting financial assistance under any other scheme
of the Ministry of Culture.
(b) The State-wise number of proposals received under the ‘Scheme for Financial Assistance
for Veteran Artists’ during the last five years is annexed at Annexure-I.
(c) The number of proposals received from the State of Maharashtra and action taken
thereon during last five years are as follows:
Proposals Numbers of
Amount disbursed
Year Artists
Received Approved Rejected supported (in Lakh)
2020-21 238 187 51 206 106.62
2021-22 1451 547 904 448 190.49
2022-23 1158 268 890 740 273.49
2023-24 1469 68 1401 1239 795.97
2024-25 1188 Under Process 1392 541.19
The details of artists receiving financial assistance under the said scheme State/UT-wise
including the State of Uttar Pradesh and Kerala during last five years is annexed at
Annexure-II. The district-wise data of beneficiaries under the said scheme is not available in
this Ministry.
(d) Release of financial assistance to the selected artists under the said scheme depends on
submission of certain mandatory documents such as, Digital Life Certificate (DLC) once in a
year, annual income certificate once in every five years, documents showing receipt of artist
pension, if any, from the concerned State Government/UT Administration. Once the requisite
mandatory documents are received from the selected artists, which is a continuous process
throughout the year, all efforts are made to disburse the financial assistance expeditiously.
(e) The number of applications approved and rejected under the scheme received from all
the States/UTs including Maharashtra and Kerala during the last five years is annexed at
Annexure-III. Applications found incomplete due to non-submission of recommendations of
Art & Culture Department of State Government/UT administration or ZCC under this Ministry
and lack of artistic credentials are rejected.
(f) Yes sir, this Ministry has received 35 proposals from the Members of Parliament of
Maharashtra during last three years. The following are the details of the action taken thereon:
Sl No Action taken Number of
Proposals
1. Proposals rejected in the initial scrutiny 5
2. Proposals already recommended by the Expert Committee 5
3. Proposals not recommended by the Expert Committee 3
4. Fresh proposals as informed through the Members of Parliament 13
have not been received yet
5. Proposals to be placed before the upcoming Expert Committee 9
Meeting
Total 35(g) To mitigate the hardships faced by the beneficiaries selected under the scheme, the
following efforts have been made by this Ministry in the recent years:
(i) The quantum of financial assistance under the scheme has been enhanced from
Rs. 4000/- per month to Rs. 6000/- per month w.e.f. June, 2022;
(ii) The requirement of submitting income certificate every year has now been done away
with and instead it is now required to be submitted once in five years;
(iii) Earlier, the applicant artist applying under the scheme should have been mandatorily
be a recipient of artists pension of atleast Rs. 500/- per month from the concerned
State Government/UT Administration. This condition has been relaxed and now also
provides for verification and recommendation of the artistic credentials by the
concerned Zonal Cultural Centre (ZCC), Ministry of Culture in case the applicant is not
a recipient of artists pension from the State Govt./UT Administration;
(iv) To ensure smooth and timely disbursal of financial assistance to the selected artists,
an MoU has been signed with Canara Bank on 28.06.2023.
*****Annexure-I
Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3470 for 11.08.2025
Sr. State Applications received in the year
No.
2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
1 Andhra Pradesh 52 233 218 291 160
2 Assam 3 4 2 0 0
3 Bihar 0 0 36 0 0
4 Chhattisgarh 0 0 0 0 1
5 Delhi 0 1 0 3 0
6 Goa 0 0 0 507 74
7 Gujrat 0 0 0 0 1
8 Jammu & Kashmir 0 0 0 0 1
9 Jharkhand 0 0 1 0 1
10 Haryana 0 0 0 2 0
11 Himachal Pradesh 4 3 1 2 2
12 Karnataka 136 190 176 250 173
13 Kerala 22 28 79 14 6
14 Madhya Pradesh 3 2 2 2 10
15 Maharashtra 238 1451 1158 1469 1188
16 Manipur 12 0 3 1 0
17 Nagaland 1 198 0 0 3
18 Odisha 584 2698 2127 1136 927
19 Puducherry 0 0 0 1 0
20 Punjab 0 0 0 1 6
21 Rajasthan 2 5 1 1 28
22 Tripura 0 0 0 0 0
23 Tamil Nadu 66 31 23 15 36
24 Telangana 142 509 849 483 260
25 Uttar Pradesh 68 9 15 38 87
26 Uttarakhand 1 0 0 1 1
27 West Bengal 1269 54 26 53 25
TOTAL 2603 5416 4717 4270 2990Annexure-II
Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of the
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3470 for 11.08.2025
(Amount in Lakh)
Sl. State FY - 2020-21 FY - 2021-22 FY - 2022-23 FY - 2023-24 FY - 2024-25
No. Amount No of Amount No of Amount No of Amount No of Amount No of
Disbursed Beneficiaries Disbursed Beneficiaries Disbursed Beneficiaries Disbursed Beneficiaries Disbursed Beneficiaries
1 Andhra Pradesh 5.1 29 72.29 89 84.66 148 153.3 191 115.90 177
2 Assam 0.96 2 0.48 1 1.57 1 2.41 3 0.90 2
3 Bihar - - - - - - 15.47 14 4.62 7
4 NCT of Delhi - - - - - - 5.87 8 4.92 10
5 Haryana - - 0.93 1 0.56 2 3.69 4 1.94 4
6 Goa - - - - - - - - 7.12 41
7 Himachal Pradesh - - - - - - - - 0.30 1
8 Jharkhand 2.28 8 3 5 3.59 7 3.88 4 2.76 3
9 Karnataka 29.97 144 59.55 146 64.32 130 341.98 344 354.67 397
10 Kerala 8.18 24 24.49 57 25.3 51 64.21 67 85.82 80
11 Madhya Pradesh 2.44 6 5.04 12 3.86 6 6.95 7 14.95 13
12 Maharashtra 106.62 206 190.49 448 273.49 740 795.97 1239 541.19 1392
13 Manipur 3.36 9 7.84 16 0.6 5 14.7 13 14.94 14
14 Nagaland 0.48 1 0.92 2 0.12 1 3.28 2 1.08 2
15 Odisha 119.47 355 276.95 828 306.77 966 1063.4 1460 1,106.51 1995
16 Punjab - - - - - - - - 0.30 1
17 Rajasthan 0.07 2 1.23 2 0.71 2 1.36 2 2.52 2
18 Tamil Nadu 0.87 6 15.49 22 14.6 21 46.96 41 36.61 34
19 Telangana 53.2 86 217.29 342 268.16 489 274.94 293 207.07 309
20 Tripura 0.24 1 0.92 2 0.12 1 - - - -
21 Uttar Pradesh 5.13 9 13.08 46 15.46 58 67.24 82 80.46 109
22 Uttarakhand - - - - - - 2.43 2 4.83 4
23 West Bengal 5.09 37 12.31 32 11.71 27 28.53 35 20.37 39
Total 343.46 925 902.3 2051 1075.6 2655 2896.57 3811 2,609.77 4636
disbursed through
527.85 1075 639.87 978 783.58 996 0 0 0.00 0
LIC
Grand Total 871.31 2000 1542.17 3029 1859.18 3651 2896.57 3811 2,609.77 4636Annexure-III
Annexure referred to in reply to part (e) of the
Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3470 for 11.08.2025
Sr No Name of State Applications Approved and Rejected in the year
2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Approved Rejected Approved Rejected Approved Rejected Approved Rejected Approved Rejected
1 Andhra Pradesh 35 142 34 18 91 142 33 185 38 253
2 Assam 0 12 1 2 2 2 0 2 0 0
3 Bihar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 0 0
4 Delhi 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0
5 Goa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 133 374
6 Gujrat 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Jammu & Kashmir 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Jharkhand 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
9 Haryana 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
10 Himachal Pradesh 0 0 1 3 0 3 0 1 2 0
11 Karnataka 49 296 114 22 3 187 23 153 21 229
12 Kerala 12 33 21 1 8 20 9 70 1 13
13 Madhya Pradesh 0 8 1 2 0 2 0 2 0 2
14 Maharashtra 128 759 187 51 547 904 268 890 68 1401
15 Manipur 0 28 12 0 0 0 0 3 0 1
16 Nagaland 0 859 1 0 0 198 0 0 0 0
17 Odisha 130 437 340 244 1260 1438 622 1505 32 1104
18 Puducherry 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
19 Punjab 1 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
20 Rajasthan 0 2 0 2 0 5 0 1 0 1
21 Tripura 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22 Tamil Nadu 2 77 14 52 1 30 1 22 1 14
23 Telangana 53 475 116 26 306 203 193 656 15 468
24 Uttar Pradesh 0 16 65 3 1 8 0 15 22 16
25 Uttarakhand 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
26 West Bengal 0 2243 914 355 32 22 0 26 15 38
TOTAL 411 5396 1821 782 2251 3165 1150 3567 355 3915