Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Culture addressed a question regarding financial assistance for veteran artists in Andhra Pradesh, covering the period from 2019-20 to 2023-24. Out of 962 proposals received, a varying number were approved and rejected each year due to incomplete submissions. Efforts have been made to ease the process and increase the disbursement of financial assistance to artists. 3182 applications have been received in 2024-25 and in the current financial year, 2025-26 until 15.07.2025.
Key Points / Main Content:
Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists (2019-20 to 2023-24):
* Total proposals received, approved, and rejected under the Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists are as follows:
* 2019-20: 177 received, 35 approved, 142 rejected
* 2020-21: 52 received, 34 approved, 18 rejected
* 2021-22: 233 received, 91 approved, 142 rejected
* 2022-23: 218 received, 33 approved, 185 rejected
* 2023-24: 291 received, 38 approved, 253 rejected
* Rejections occur due to incomplete proposals, lacking recommendations from the Art & Culture Department/Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC), missing documents, or insufficient artistic credentials.
* District-wise data of proposals received is not maintained.
Enhancements to Financial Assistance:
* Financial assistance increased from Rs. 4000 to Rs. 6000 per month, effective June 2022.
* Income certificate submission is now required once every five years instead of annually.
* Relaxed requirement for mandatory artist pension from State Government/UT Administration; ZCC verification is now accepted.
* An MoU with Canara Bank was signed on 28.06.2023 to streamline financial assistance disbursal.
Financial Impact:
* Annual disbursement increased from Rs. 8.71 Cr. for 2000 artists in 2020-21 to Rs. 26.09 Cr. for 4636 artists in 2024-25.
Application Statistics:
* 3182 applications received in 2024-25 and in the current financial year, 2025-26 until 15.07.2025.
Impact Analysis:
Veteran Artists in Andhra Pradesh:
* Impact: Benefit from increased financial assistance (Rs. 6000/month), relaxed documentation requirements, and streamlined disbursal process.
* Action Required: Ensure complete applications with necessary documents and recommendations to avoid rejection. Submit income certificates every five years.
State Government/UT Administration & Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCC):
* Impact: Need to provide recommendations for artists' applications and artistic credentials.
* Action Required: Review and process applications promptly and thoroughly to support deserving artists.
Ministry of Culture:
* Impact: Oversees the scheme, manages disbursal through Canara Bank, and monitors the impact of the enhanced financial assistance.
* Action Required: Continue to monitor and improve the scheme's effectiveness and accessibility for veteran artists.
Canara Bank:
* Impact: Responsible for the smooth and timely disbursal of financial assistance to selected artists.
* Action Required: Adhere to the MoU terms and ensure efficient disbursement of funds.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Culture: A ministry of the Government of India responsible for the preservation and promotion of art and culture.
Andhra Pradesh: A state in India from which pension/financial assistance proposals were received for veteran artists.
Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists: A scheme under which financial assistance is provided to veteran artists.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat: The Minister of Culture and Tourism.
Art Culture Department of State Government: The department within a state government responsible for art and culture.
Zonal Cultural Centre: An organization under the Ministry of Culture involved in the recommendation of artists for financial assistance and verification of artistic credentials.
Canara Bank: A bank that has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Culture to ensure smooth and timely disbursal of financial assistance to selected artists.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the question regarding financial assistance to veteran artists was raised.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 21
ANSWERED ON 21.07.2025
‘Financial Assistance to the Veteran Artists in Andhra Pradesh’
21. Shri Dr. C M Ramesh :
Will the MINISTER OF CULTURE be pleased to state:
(a) Whether it is true that total number of 962 proposals received from Andhra Pradesh for
providing pension/financial assistance for artists who have now become old during the
last five years i.e., from 2019-20 to 2023-24;
(b) if so, the details of applications received year and district-wise;
(c) whether it is true that majority of applications have been rejected by the Government;
(d) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor;
(e) whether the Government is contemplating to be a bit lenient towards these artists since
they had contributed in keeping our culture, art and traditions alive; and
(f) the details of applications received in 2024-25 and in the first six months of current
financial year?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)
(a), (b), (c) & (d) The total number of proposals received, approved and rejected from the state
of Andhra Pradesh under the ‘Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists’ for
consideration for grant of financial assistance during the last five years, i.e. from 2019-20 to
2023-24 are given below. The district-wise data of proposals received under the scheme is not
maintained in this Ministry.
Sl. No. Year Proposals received Proposals approved Proposals rejected
1. 2019-20 177 35 142
2. 2020-21 52 34 18
3. 2021-22 233 91 142
4. 2022-23 218 33 185
5. 2023-24 291 38 253The proposals found incomplete due to non-submission of recommendations of the Art &
Culture Department of State Government/UT administration or the concerned Zonal Cultural
Centre (ZCC) under this Ministry, lack of requisite documents and artistic credentials are
rejected.
(e) Recognizing the significant contribution by the artists in promotion of our art and culture,
and to mitigate the hardships faced by the selected artists, the following actions have been
taken by the 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
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.
The above efforts have led to an increase in the annual disbursement from Rs.
8.71 Cr. for 2000 artists in the financial year 2020-21 to Rs. 26.09 Cr. for 4636 artists in 2024-
25.
(f) A total of 3182 applications have been received during the year 2024-25 and in the
current financial year, 2025-26 (till 15-07-2025).
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