Towards preserving cultural heritage and making an impact

NEW DELHI: The National Culture Fund was set up by the ministry of culture to preserve and promote Indian Culture and Heritage. Established in 1996 as a trust, NCF’s primary mandate is to establish and nurture Public Private Partnerships (PPP). CEO KL Dhingra is keen to attract international agencies to strengthen the organization. Excerpts: What is the mandate of the National Culture Fund? NCF’s role is to catalyze relationships between government and private agencies and mobilize resources for the development of India’s rich heritage. What is the vision and mission of NCF? NCF aims to actively support activities related to all aspects of tangible and intangible heritage, be it performing arts, visual arts or others. What types of projects are accepted by NCF? NCF accepts and promotes proposals that not only aim towards preserving our cultural heritage but also have a high social and environmental impact in terms of employment generation, education and developing appreciation for our cultural heritage. It receives proposals from reputed agencies like the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which are taken forward for partnerships with public sector undertakings. How many Central PSUs have joined hands with NCF? NCF has partnerships with public sector undertakings like NTPC, ONGC, SAIL, HUDCO, REC and Public Sector Banks like State Bank of India and UCO Bank and a few others. Have you done any project in collaboration with international agencies? Yes we joined hands with the British Museum, London for the Leadership Training Programme for Museum Professionals in 2012, 2013 and 2014. A total of 60 professionals were trained. NCF has also collaborated with J Paul Getty Trust for capacity building of ASI professionals and some projects are being implemented with the World Monument Fund (WMF) as partners. Name some important projects that NCF has taken up. Shaniwarwada Palace, Pune, Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi, Synagogue Clock Tower, Cochin, Reviving Crafts Heritage & Providing Sustainable Livelihood to the Artists, Gujarat.