By IANS,
New Delhi : The culture ministry has been allocated Rs.2,062 crore (over $362 million), up from the last fiscal’s revised estimates of Rs.1,450.15 crore (approximately $270 million) in the budget for 2013-14 Finance Minister P. Chidambaram presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The enhanced allocation would promote archiving and conservation of cultural heritage, Chidambaram said.
The budget has earmarked Rs.1,425 crore (approximately $270 million) under the plan head and Rs.627 crore (over $108 million) under non-plan head.
The biggest share has been set aside for the Archaeological Survey of India, at Rs.555 crore (approximately $92 million) against Rs.483.50 crore (over $72 million) in the last financial year.
The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library in the capital has been granted Rs. 168.30 crore (approximately $20 million), a massive increase from last year’s Rs.17.07 crore (approximately $3.6 million). The library, a resource centre for academics in history and social science disciplines, is housed in Teen Murti House, which used to be the home of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The National Library and the Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library in Kolkata – two heritage archives with rare collections – were allocated Rs.40.98 crore and Rs.40.31 crore (over $ seven million each) respectively.
The total expenditure for libraries – which the government claims is a priority area this financial year with several ongoing digital archiving and modernisation projects – is Rs.174.41 crore (approximately $25 million).
The total provision for projects and schemes for the northeastern states and Sikkim is Rs.143.50 crore (approximately $27 million).