In a significant boost to India’s living cultural heritage, the Union Ministry of Culture has extended financial assistance worth ₹75.43 crore to 9,660 artists and cultural organisations from Odisha over the past five years under the Kala Sanskriti Vikas Yojana (KSVY).
The centrally sponsored scheme provides direct financial support to eligible individual artists and organisations working to promote folk arts, folk music, folk dance, traditional theatre and other forms of cultural expression. Because it operates as a central-sector scheme, district-wise or region-wise data is not maintained.
Year-wise figures shared in Parliament show a steady rise in both the number of beneficiaries and the quantum of support:
- 2021-22: 1,188 artists/organisations received ₹8.10 crore
- 2022-23: 1,316 artists/organisations received ₹10.35 crore (figures repeated in the official reply)
- 2024-25: 2,401 artists/organisations received ₹21.30 crore
- 2025-26: 2,822 artists/organisations received ₹33.68 crore
The information was provided by Union Minister of Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply to questions raised by Lok Sabha MP Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo.
Responding to a specific query on promoting Sambalpuri and other folk traditions of western Odisha at the national level, the Minister clarified that no separate proposal is currently under consideration. He added that the Ministry continues to expand the reach of its schemes to rural and marginalised communities through wider publicity—guidelines and application forms are available on the official website, while advertisements appear in newspapers, on the Ministry’s social-media platforms and through nodal agencies.
The rising numbers under KSVY underline the Centre’s sustained focus on safeguarding India’s diverse artistic traditions while ensuring that support reaches grassroots practitioners across the country, including Odisha’s rich cultural landscape.
