Measures by the Government to preserve and promote the traditional cultural heritage of India

Measures by the Government to preserve and promote the traditional cultural heritage of India

Part of: GS Prelims and GS- I – Culture

In news 

• Minister of Culture and Tourism informed Parliament about the Measures taken by the Government to preserve and promote the traditional cultural heritage of India.

Key takeaways 

• The Ministry of Culture formulated a scheme titled “Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India”. 
• The objective of the scheme: Promoting the rich Intangible Cultural Heritage of India.
• India has successfully inscribed 13 Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) elements in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the 2003 Convention.
• As the first step towards the making of a National Inventory of ICH, the Ministry of Culture (MoC) has put up a list on its website called “National list for ICH”
• The National list of ICH is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian Culture embedded in its Intangible Heritage.

Important value additions 

• Following UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, this list has been classified into five broad domains in which Intangible Cultural Heritage is manifested:

1. 1. Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
   2. Performing Arts
   3. Social practices, Rituals, and Festive events
   4. Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the Universe
   5. Traditional Craftsmanship

Related article:

• Culture related terms: Click here
• Hawker Culture in Singapore: Click here