INSTITUTIONS/ORGANISATIONS

All India Radio (AIR) is a national broadcasting service planned, developed and operated by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting under the Government of India. The operations of All India Radio began formally in 1936 with the objectives to inform, educate and entertain the masses. AIR today has a network of 198 broadcasting centres with 305 transmitters, including 145 medium frequency, 55 high frequency (SW) and 103 FM transmitters. The coverage is 90% in terms of area and 97.3% in terms of population. AIR covers 24 Languages and 146 dialects in home service and 24 Languages in External services. 

The Allahabad Museum functions under the aegis of the Department of Culture. The Government of India declared it as an institution of national importance in 1985. The Museum has a fabulous collection of Bharhut, Bhumara and Jamsot sculptures and the terracotta from Kausambi, Bhita, Ihusi, Patliputra, Sarnath, Rajghat and Ahichhatra. The Museum also has paraphernalia of the Nehru Family, including manuscripts of An Autobiography by Jawaharlal Nehru and a large volume of correspondence. Among the Museum collections are paintings of the Bengal School of painters such as Abanindranath Tagore, Jatin Roy, Nandlal Bose, Aist Kumar Haldar, Kshintindranath Mazumdar and Sudhir Rajan Khastgir. The other important paintings are those of Vijayavargiya. Nicholas Roerich, his son Svetoslav Roerich and Anagarika Covinda are among the foreign painters represented in the Museum. The Museum has introduced courses in archaeology, conservation of museum and library materials and appreciation of Indian art objects.  

Anthropological Survey of India was established in December 1945 as a scientific research organisation under the Department of Culture, Government of India.  It has its headquarters in Calcutta and regional centres at Nagpur, Mysore, Shillong, Dehradun, Port Blair and Jagdalpur, besides a camp office in New Delhi. It acts as a nodal organisation of scientific research in anthropology and allied disciplines in the country. It is responsible for conducting bio-cultural research covering the entire gamut of human evolution in the country.  It also conducts research on biological and cultural peculiarities of the Indian tribes.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) functions as an attached office of the Department of Culture, Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports. It was established in 1861 with the primary tasks of conservation, preservation and maintenance of the centrally protected monuments and sites. Its multifarious activities include inter alia:(i) maintenance, conservation and preservation of Centrally protected monuments and sites; (ii) carrying out archaeological explorations and excavations; (iii) chemical preservation of monuments and antiquarian remains; (iv) architectural survey of monuments; (v) bringing out archaeological publications; (vi) carrying out archaeological expeditions abroad (both excavations and conservation) and (vii) carrying out under water archaeology.  At present, the ASI has declared 3,598 centrally protected monuments to be of national importance, which include 16 world heritage monuments. The total number of structures being maintained by ASI is over 5,000. The ASI brings out publications like Indian Archaeology— A Review, Memoirs, Excavation Reports, Guide Books, Picture Post-Cards and brochures.  

Asiatic Society, Calcutta was founded in 1784 by the eminent Indologist Sir William Jones (1746-1794) with the objective of inquiring into the history, science, arts and literature of Asia. This institution has contributed to the growth of literary and scientific activities in the country. The Society provided the model for all other Asiatic Societies in other parts of the world.  The Government of India declared the Society as an institution of national importance in 1984. The Society maintains a museum, which contains over 65,000 MSS in various languages. The Society is one of the leading centres of Indology in the world. It has undertaken the Encyclopaedia Asiatica Project in eight volumes.  

Bharat Bhavan is an independent trust created by the Legislature of the State of Madhya Pradesh. It is a multi-arts complex providing interactive proximity to the verbal, visual and performing arts. It is a place for contemporary articulation, exploration, reflection and innovation. Bharat Bhavan consists of: (a) Roopankar, a Museum of Arts which houses both contemporary urban and folk and tribal art, (b) Rangmandal, a professional repertory to support the theatre movement, having an indoor theatre called Antrang and an outdoor theatre called Bahirang, (c) Vagarth, a Centre of Indian Poetry having a library of over 7000 books of poetry in 14 Indian languages and recordings and video-cassettes of major poets, and (d) Anhad, a Library of Classical and Folk Music.   

The Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmedabad, founded in 1949 by Gira Sarabhai, presents a collection of rare, exquisite fabrics from different parts of India.   

The Central Hindi Directorate has been set up with the objective of fulfilling the constitutional obligations of Article 351  to develop and propagate the cause of Hindi language all over the country and abroad. The Directorate has schemes for the purchase, publication and free distribution of books to non-Hindi speaking states and to the Indian Embassies and Consulates abroad.  The Directorate brings out Hindi journals like Bhasha, Varshiki and Sahityamala. 

The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) was set up as an autonomous organisation by the Government of India in May 1979. The Centre is under the administrative control of Department of Culture. It has its headquarters in New Delhi and two regional centres at Udaipur and Hyderabad. The broad objective of the CCRT is to link education with culture and awaken the consciousness of the students about the significance of culture. The CCRT conducts a variety of training programmes for in-service teachers, which helps them in gaining a deeper understanding of the philosophy and aesthetics of the Indian culture and heritage. It has also organises academic programmes on Indian art and culture for foreign teachers and students. The CCRT implements the Cultural Talent Search Scholarship Scheme. It has also instituted CCRT Teachers’ Award, which is given every year to selected teachers in recognition of the outstanding work done by them in the field of education and culture.  

The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh was established in 1959 to train students in Buddhist philosophy, literature and arts. It is affiliated to Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwa Vidyalaya, Varanasi.  

The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi, which has been given the status of  'Deemed-to-be University' from April 1988, is an autonomous organisation fully financed by the Government of India. It was established with the objective of the preservation of Tibetan culture and tradition, restoration of ancient Indian literature preserved in Tibetan languages and providing higher education in Buddhist studies.

The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore is primarily involved in research in the analysis, pedagogy, technology and use of language.  Its various schemes are designed towards the development of Indian languages, including the tribal languages and to encourage publications in Indian languages.  It has regional language centres at Bhubaneshwar, Mysore, Patiala, Solan and Lucknow.  

The Central Secretariat Library, originally known as Imperial Secretariat Library, was established in 1891 and has a collection of over eight lakh volumes. The Library provides facilities for reference and research to Central Government offices and organisations, employees, general readers and research scholars. It has a separate Hindi and library language wing—Tulsi Sadan—at Bhawalpur House, New Delhi and a branch library at R.K. Puram, New Delhi. The Library is well equipped in modern gadgets, including latest reprographic and micrographic facilities.

The Dairatul-Maarifil-Osmania, Hyderabad (or the Osmania Oriental Publications Bureau) was founded in 1888 by Imadul-Mulk Sayyid Husain Bilgrami, Fazilat Jung and Mulla Abdul Qayyum under the patronage of Mir Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad.  Its primary objective was to collect, preserve and publish rare and hitherto unpublished works connected with Islamic learning.  It has published hundreds of rare and valuable works, many of which are in Arabic.   

The Darul Musannifeen was established in 1914 at Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh by the celebrated Islamic scholar Maulana Shibli Nomani as an academy for research in Islamic studies and publication of works on Islamic learning, history and culture.  It has brought out several noteworthy publications including the Biography of Prophet Muhammad called Sirantun-Nabi in six volumes.  It also publishes the popular monthly journal in Urdu called Maarif.

Started at Deoband in Uttar Pradesh in 1866 by Haji Muhammad Abid Hussain, it is one of the foremost centres of Islamic learning in Asia.   It has been attracting students from all over the world and from within the country. It has 13 academic departments that provide instructions in 22 disciplines like Quran and Quranic Commentary, Science of Recitation of the Quran, Hadith, Principles of Islamic Law, Law of Inheritance, etc.  The certificates offered by the Darul-uloom are recognised by premier religious institutions in the Islamic world like the Al-Azhar University of Cairo and the Madina University of Saudi Arabia.  The Darul-uloom has a Governing body headed by a Sarparast or Chancellor.

The Delhi Public Library was established in 1951 with financial and technical assistance from UNESCO.  It consists of a central library, a zonal library at Sarojini Nagar and four branch libraries, besides 16 sub-branch libraries, a Braille library, three sports libraries and a special outlet for the Central Jail. The Delhi Public Library is a recipient library under the Delivery of Books Act and has a book stock of more than 12 lakh.  

The Department of Culture, which was earlier in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, has now been shifted to the newly created Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports.  Set up in 1985, the Department of Culture came into existence through the 174th amendment of the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961.  The Department plays a vital role in the preservation, promotion and dissemination of art and culture. The major activities of the Department of Culture include providing financial aid through schemes and grants; boosting cultural ties with different countries in the world through Cultural Exchange Programmes (CEPs), providing training courses and observing centenaries and anniversaries of great persons. The Department has two attached offices, six subordinate offices, and 26 autonomous organisations.

The Department of Youth Affairs and Sports was setup with the objective of developing human potential in the field of youth and sports. The Department, through its various programmes and schemes gives assistance, training and awards to the organisations, sportspersons and youth to motivate them to contribute towards national development. It is also responsible for promoting sports and games in the country. The Department of Youth Affairs acquired a separate identity in 1985 coinciding with the International Youth year. The Department of Sports implements different Sports promotion schemes with the aim of achieving excellence in sports at national and international levels.

The Directorate of Film Festivals is responsible for organising national and international film festivals in India, organising film weeks in India and abroad and participation in international film festivals.  It is also responsible for organising the national film awards annually.

Started in 1959, Doordarshan is India's foremost television network and one of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world. Doordarshan operates 21 channels and has a network of 47 Programme Production Centres and 1088 transmitters. It puts out over 1,393 hours of programmes every week. The terrestrial signals of Doordarshan can reach 87.9% of the country's population. The Doordarshan programmes are watched by nearly 400 million people in the country.

Started in 1948, it is a central film-producing organisation of the government of India.  Its prime responsibilities include production and distribution of short and documentary films. It has centres in Bangalore and Calcutta. Some of the best documentaries produced by the Films Division include I am Twenty, Jai Jawan, India 67, Face to Face and Through the Eyes of a Painter.

The Film Finance Corporation of India was set up in 1960 by the Government of India in order to improve the standard of Indian cinema by extending financial loans for film production and to sponsor Film Festivals and Film Weeks.

It was established in 1960 in Pune. FTII is a member of CILCET (International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television)--an organization of the world's leading schools of film and television. Its prime objective is imparting of organised technical training in the art of film-making. Every year, the FTII invites nationally and internationally renowned makers as guest lecturers. The institution has churned out hundreds of successful directors, actors, cameramen and other technicians. The Television wing of the Institute mainly caters for the training needs of production and technical staff of Doordarshan. Short-term TV orientation courses are conducted for the Indian Information Service (IIS) officers and the students of the film department. FTII enters short films by students in various international short film festivals to give exposure to their work.

Established in 1955 in Pondicherry, it is a research centre for Indian languages and culture. The Scientific and Technical section prepares vegetation maps, maps of soil types, geology and lithology of India.  

Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) was set up by the Department of Culture in 1984 primarily to maintain the national memorial of Gandhiji, called ‘Gandhi Smriti’, and the permanent photo exhibition at Rajghat called ‘Gandhi Darshan’, created at the time of Gandhiji’s birth centenary in 1969. The institution has published a number of books on the life and values of Gandhiji. It also organises the annual Gandhi Memorial Lectures by eminent scholars both in India and abroad.  

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was established in 1950 as an autonomous organisation of the Government of India.  The objectives of the Council are to (a) participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes relating to India’s external cultural relations, (b) promote cultural exchange with other countries and peoples, (c) promote and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries and (d) establish and develop relations with national and international organisations in the field of culture. 

ICCR arranges for exchange of visits by scholars, academicians, opinion-makers, artists and writers as well as visits by performing arts groups and exhibitions.  ICCR also administers scholarship schemes for foreign students for studies in India; organises the Maulana Azad Memorial Lecture; conducts the Maulana Azad Essay Competition and administers the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding.

The President of the ICCR is the Vice-President of India.  ICCR currently has two Vice-Presidents and a Director-General. ICCR has its Headquarters in Azad Bhavan, New Delhi and has regional offices in Bangalore, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai and Thiruvanthapuram.  The Council has established Indian Cultural Centres abroad in Almaty, Berlin, Cairo, Colombo, Durban, Georgetown, Jakarta, Johannesburg, London, Moscow, Paramaribo, Port Louis, Port of Spain and Tashkent. 

The Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) was set up in 1972 under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD), with headquarters at New Delhi.  The Council formulates and implements a national policy on historical research and encourages scientific writing of history through its research projects, seminars, publications and grants and schemes. The ICHR has so far awarded 1,822 fellowships and 2,291 study-cum-travel grants.

The Indian Institute of Islamic Studies was started in 1964 at New Delhi by the efforts of Hakim Abdul Hamid, Chairman of the Hamdard National Foundation.  It is the largest Islamic Institute in India.  Its primary objective is to foster the study of Islamic culture and civilisation and to provide facilities for research in the impact of Islam on India and India's contribution to Islamic studies.  

Founded in 1814 by the Asiatic Society, it is the oldest and largest institution of its kind in the country. It houses unique treasures of Indian and foreign art representing centuries of cultural ethos and traditions. The Museum has a vast repository of paintings, sculptures, bronzes, metals, coins, textiles and decorative art.  Its Mineralogy gallery has a very extensive collection of minerals from all parts of India.  The Numismatic gallery displays punch-marked coins from 5 BC to 2 AD, besides gold coins of the Gupta period and the Arab and Greek coins.

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) was established as an autonomous Trust in memory of Smt Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister.  It is conceptualised as a centre devoted to the study and experience of all the art forms. It seeks to place the arts within the context of the natural environment through diverse programme of research, publication, training, creative activities and performance. The Centre is implementing the project of strengthening the national facility for inter-active multi-media documentation of cultural resources with UNDP assistance.

The institute has five divisions that are autonomous in structure but interlocked in programming. The Kalanidhi is a major repository of reference material relating to humanities and the arts and has an outstanding reference library and cultural archives with access to multimedia databases and information systems. The Kala Kosa is division that deals with research work on and publications of works on art and related subjects. The Janapada Sampada undertakes to build a core collection of material and documentation on folk and tribal arts and crafts. The lifestyle studies are the main programmes of the Janapada Sampada division. It consists of Loka Parampara, which revolves around a community, and the Ksetra Sampada, which revolves around the region. The Kala Darsana aims to provide a forum for interdisciplinary seminars, exhibitions and performances on unified themes and concepts. It provides the venue and forum for facilitating a creative dialogue amongst cultures, disciplines, levels of society and diverse arts. The Sutradhara gives administrative, managerial and organisational support to all the other division. It is the nodal administrative division that serves as central coordinator of programmes.  

Indira Gandhi National Open University was established in 1985 to provide cost-effective, quality education to large sections of population, particularly to the disadvantaged segments of the society, including those living in remote and far-flung areas. The University has been a pioneer in Distance Education and is the recipient of the centre of Excellence in Distance Education award conferred by the Commonwealth of Learning in 1993. IGNOU has on its rolls over 600,000 students from different parts of the country. The University has a network of 26 Regional Centres (5 of which are army command centres) and 504 Study Centres. IGNOU develops and produces courses for delivery through open learning and distance education mode and awards Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees. IGNOU introduced its programmes in 1987 and has so far launched 47 programmes consisting of 553 courses. IGNOU is also actively involved in research, training and extension education activities. IGNOU has also constituted the Distance Education Council through which it provides expertise and assistance to other Open and Distance Learning Institutions in the country.

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