All India Radio (AIR) :
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.
Allahabad Museum :
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 :
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.
Archaeological Survey of India :
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 :
Asiatic Society, Calcutta (Kolkata) 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 :
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.
Calico Museum of Textiles :
The Calico Museum of Textiles, Ahmedabad, founded in 1949 by Gira Sarabhai, presents a collection of rare, exquisite fabrics from different parts of India.
Central Hindi Directorate :
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.
Centre for Cultural Resources and Training :
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.
Central Institute of Buddhist Studies :
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.
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies :
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.
Central Institute of Indian Languages :
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.
Central Secretariat Library :
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.
Dairatul-Maarifil-Osmania :
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.
Darul Musannifeen :
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.
Darul-Uloom, Deoband :
Darul-Uloom, Deoband was 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 and 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.
Delhi Public Library :
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.
Department of Culture :
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.
Department of Youth Affairs and Sports :
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.
Directorate of Film Festivals :
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.
Doordarshan :
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.