Scheme Of Scholarship And Fellowship For Promotion Of Art And Culture: Supporting Cultural Talent, Expanding Cultural Access?

Policy Update
Vishvaney Agarwal

Background

India’s cultural heritage is sustained not only through institutions and monuments but also through artists, performers, researchers, and knowledge practitioners who preserve and transmit artistic traditions across generations. However, many practitioners of traditional and contemporary art forms face financial insecurity, limited institutional support, and uneven access to advanced training opportunities. These challenges are particularly pronounced among young artists and independent cultural researchers whose work often falls outside conventional employment structures.

To address these concerns, the Ministry of Culture implements the Scheme of Scholarship and Fellowship for Promotion of Art and Culture, a Central Sector Scheme currently functioning under the umbrella of the Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana (KSVY). The scheme aims to promote artistic excellence, support cultural research, and strengthen the transmission of cultural knowledge by providing financial assistance to artists and scholars across different cultural disciplines.

The scheme consists of three components:

Scholarships to Young Artistes in Different Cultural Fields
Senior and Junior Fellowships to Outstanding Persons in the Field of Culture
Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research

Together, these components seek to strengthen India’s cultural ecosystem by supporting both artistic practice and scholarly engagement in fields such as music, dance, theatre, visual arts, folk traditions, indigenous arts, literature, and cultural heritage studies.

Functioning

The scheme operates through a competitive selection process administered by the Ministry of Culture. Applicants are evaluated by expert committees based on their artistic achievements, training background, research proposals, and demonstrated potential.

Under the Scholarships to Young Artistes component, up to 400 scholarships are awarded in each batch year to individuals aged 18–25 years who have undergone at least five years of training under a recognised guru or institution. Selected scholars receive ₹5,000 per month for two years to pursue advanced training in fields such as Indian classical music, classical dance, theatre, visual arts, folk arts, traditional arts, indigenous art forms, and light classical music.

The Senior and Junior Fellowship Scheme supports cultural research and creative projects. Up to 400 fellowships are awarded annually, comprising 200 Junior Fellowships and 200 Senior Fellowships. Junior Fellows aged 25–40 years receive ₹10,000 per month, while Senior Fellows above 40 years receive ₹20,000 per month, both for a period of two years.

The Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research is intended to strengthen research in museums, archives, libraries, and cultural institutions. The scheme provides up to 15 fellowships carrying an honorarium of ₹80,000 per month plus contingency grants and 25 scholarships carrying ₹50,000 per month plus contingency grants for a maximum duration of two years.

Financial assistance is generally released in four equal six-monthly installments, subject to compliance with reporting and progress requirements.

Performance (2021-22 to 2025-26)

The Scheme of Scholarship and Fellowship for Promotion of Art and Culture has maintained operational continuity during the review period and remains one of the Ministry of Culture’s principal mechanisms for supporting individual artists and cultural researchers. Parliamentary responses indicate that the Young Artistes component continued to offer up to 400 scholarships annually, while the Senior and Junior Fellowship component retained its annual capacity of 400 fellowships. In addition, the Tagore National Fellowship programme continued to support up to 15 fellows and 25 scholars engaged in research within museums, archives, and cultural institutions.

A notable strength of the scheme is its coverage across multiple artistic disciplines. Unlike sector-specific cultural programmes, it extends support to classical music, dance, theatre, visual arts, folk traditions, indigenous art forms, and cultural research. This broad scope enables the scheme to support both heritage preservation and contemporary cultural practice.

However, the scale of support remains limited relative to the size of India’s cultural workforce. Even if all available scholarships and fellowships are awarded in a given year, the scheme directly supports fewer than 850 beneficiaries annually across its three components. Given India’s large number of practicing artists, performers, researchers, and cultural workers, the programme reaches only a small segment of the potential beneficiary population.

The value of assistance also presents challenges. Young Artistes receive ₹5,000 per month for two years, amounting to ₹1.2 lakh over the entire scholarship period. While this can offset some training expenses, the amount is unlikely to fully cover costs associated with advanced artistic training, including travel, accommodation, instruments, costumes, studio space, and mentorship fees, particularly in major cultural centres. By contrast, the Tagore National Fellowship offers significantly higher support of ₹80,000 per month, indicating a substantial difference in financial assistance between emerging artists and senior researchers.

Another limitation in evaluating performance is the absence of publicly available outcome indicators. Ministry disclosures primarily report the number of scholarships and fellowships sanctioned rather than outputs such as completed research projects, publications, exhibitions, performances, awards, or professional advancement of beneficiaries. As a result, the scheme’s administrative performance is easier to assess than its substantive contribution to cultural development.

Impact

The scheme’s most significant contribution lies in supporting the transmission and preservation of artistic knowledge. By requiring Young Artistes to have undergone at least five years of prior training under recognised gurus or institutions, the programme specifically targets individuals who are already committed to advanced artistic practice. This helps sustain forms of cultural learning that continue to rely heavily on mentorship and apprenticeship rather than formal degree-based education.

The fellowship components have also expanded opportunities for independent cultural research. Through the Senior and Junior Fellowships and the Tagore National Fellowship programme, researchers are able to undertake projects relating to cultural history, heritage preservation, museum studies, archival documentation, and artistic traditions. The Tagore National Fellowship is particularly significant because it links scholars directly with museums, archives, and cultural institutions, thereby strengthening research infrastructure within the cultural sector.

The scheme also contributes to preserving cultural diversity. Its eligibility framework covers classical, folk, traditional, tribal, and indigenous art forms, many of which face declining patronage and limited commercial viability. Public funding therefore serves not merely as financial assistance but as a mechanism for safeguarding cultural practices that may otherwise struggle to attract sustained institutional support.

However, evidence regarding long-term impact remains limited. Publicly available data does not systematically track whether beneficiaries subsequently establish professional artistic careers, contribute to cultural institutions, publish research outputs, receive national recognition, or generate sustainable livelihoods from their work. Similarly, there is limited information on regional distribution, social inclusion outcomes, or representation of marginalised communities among beneficiaries.

As a result, while the scheme demonstrably expands access to financial support and training opportunities, its broader impact on cultural livelihoods, knowledge production, and heritage preservation cannot be comprehensively assessed using currently available public data. The absence of outcome-based reporting remains one of the principal barriers to evaluating the scheme’s long-term effectiveness.

Emerging Issues and Challenges

Several challenges continue to affect the scheme’s effectiveness.

First, beneficiary coverage remains relatively small. India possesses one of the world’s largest and most diverse artistic communities, yet only a limited number of scholarships and fellowships are available each year. This creates intense competition and restricts the scheme’s reach.

Second, the scholarship amount for young artists has not kept pace with inflation and rising training costs. Expenses associated with accommodation, travel, instruments, costumes, studio space, and specialised instruction often exceed the financial support available under the scheme.

Third, awareness and accessibility gaps persist. Artists from rural areas, marginalised communities, and remote regions may face barriers in accessing information about application procedures, documentation requirements, and selection processes. Such disparities can limit equitable participation despite formal eligibility.

Fourth, monitoring mechanisms remain focused primarily on fund disbursement rather than outcome evaluation. Without systematic tracking of artistic achievements, research outputs, exhibitions, performances, publications, or employment outcomes, assessing the scheme’s long-term effectiveness remains difficult.

Finally, cultural support policies continue to emphasise project-based assistance rather than broader livelihood security. Many artists face challenges related to irregular incomes, limited social protection, and unstable career pathways that scholarship support alone cannot fully address.

Way Forward

The effectiveness of the Scheme of Scholarship and Fellowship for Promotion of Art and Culture can be strengthened through both expansion and institutional reform.

First, the number of scholarships and fellowships should be increased to reflect the scale and diversity of India’s artistic ecosystem. Greater beneficiary coverage would improve access for emerging artists and researchers across regions and disciplines.

Second, scholarship and fellowship amounts should be periodically revised to account for inflation and changing costs of artistic training and cultural research. Such revisions would enhance the practical value of financial assistance and improve retention within cultural professions.

Third, outreach initiatives should be strengthened through collaboration with cultural institutions, universities, academies, state governments, and local arts organisations. Wider dissemination of information can improve participation among underrepresented groups and regions.

Fourth, the Ministry of Culture should introduce stronger outcome-monitoring mechanisms. Tracking indicators such as research publications, artistic productions, exhibitions, performances, awards, employment outcomes, and cultural entrepreneurship would improve accountability and facilitate evidence-based policy evaluation.

Finally, scholarship and fellowship support should be integrated with broader cultural ecosystem initiatives, including digital archiving, market access programmes, cultural entrepreneurship training, and institutional partnerships. Such integration would help transform financial assistance from a short-term support mechanism into a more comprehensive strategy for cultural development.

Conclusion

The Scheme of Scholarship and Fellowship for Promotion of Art and Culture remains one of the Government of India’s principal instruments for supporting artistic talent and cultural research. Through scholarships for young artists, fellowships for researchers, and the Tagore National Fellowship programme, it contributes to preserving cultural traditions, strengthening artistic training, and encouraging scholarly engagement with India’s cultural heritage.

At the same time, limited beneficiary coverage, modest scholarship amounts, uneven awareness, and insufficient outcome tracking constrain its broader impact. As India seeks to preserve its cultural diversity while expanding opportunities for creative professionals, strengthening the scale, accessibility, and accountability of this scheme will be essential to ensuring that artistic talent receives sustained institutional support rather than temporary assistance alone.

References

Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT). (n.d.). Scheme for scholarships to young artistes in different cultural fields. Ministry of Culture, Government of India.https://ccrtindia.gov.in/scholarship-fellowship/scheme-for-scholarships-to-young-artistes/
Government of India. (2020). Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana: Guidelines and scheme framework. Ministry of Culture.https://culture.gov.in/files/guidelines_documents/Guidelines_for_holding_Cultural_events_in_Virtual_mode_under_KSVY_scheme.pdf
Ministry of Culture. (2024). Annual report 2023–24. Government of India.https://culture.gov.in/annual-reports
Press Information Bureau. (2024, August 5). Government promoting art and culture through scholarships and fellowships. Government of India.https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2109849
Press Information Bureau. (2025, March 17). Promotion of art and culture through scholarship and fellowship schemes. Government of India.https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2226929
PRS Legislative Research. (2024). Demand for grants 2024–25: Ministry of Culture. PRS Legislative Research.https://prsindia.org
UNESCO. (2022). Re|Shaping policies for creativity: Addressing culture as a global public good. UNESCO Publishing.https://www.unesco.org/reports/reshaping-creativity/2022/en
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2022). Culture and sustainable development indicators. UNESCO.https://www.unesco.org/en/sustainable-development/culture
Ministry of Finance. (2024). Union budget 2024–25: Expenditure profile. Government of India.https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/budget2024-25/doc/eb/vol1.pdf
Lok Sabha Secretariat. (2024). Unstarred question on scholarships and fellowships for promotion of art and culture. Parliament of India. https://sansad.in/getFile/loksabhaquestions/annex/187/AU3873_KxJcMB.pdf?source=pqals

About the Contributor

Vishvaney Agarwal is an undergraduate student of Political Science at Ashoka University and a Research Intern at IMPRI. Her interests lie in public policy, governance, and questions of social inclusion and institutional accountability.

Acknowledgement

The author sincerely thanks Ms Mehul Rastogi, Ms Shivani Chauhan and the IMPRI team for their constructive comments and editorial guidance during the review of this policy update.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of IMPRI.