Scheme Launched For Financial Assistance To Veteran Artists

The Ministry of Culture administers a Scheme by the name of ‘Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists’ (erstwhile ‘Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artistes’) to provide financial assistance to veteran artists of the country of the age of 60 years and above in the form of monthly artists pension. It has been the endeavor of the Government to make continuous efforts to ensure that pension to the beneficiaries is disbursed in a timely manner. However, the disbursement of financial assistance to the recommended artists is subject to submission of requisite documents by the beneficiaries selected under the Scheme such as Digital Life Certificate, Income Certificates etc. Non-submission of requisite documents from the selected beneficiaries in time, results in delay in disbursal of pension to them.

Once all requisite documents are received from the beneficiaries, all efforts are made to process the disbursement of pension expeditiously. As release of artist pension is an ongoing process, action is being taken continuously to release the pending payments as and when requisite documents are received from the beneficiaries.

Ministry of Culture has entrusted the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) vide an MoU in 2009 for disbursing the monthly artists pension to selected beneficiaries prior to the year 2017.

The performance of LIC is reviewed from time to time and advisories are issued to them for timely disbursal of artists beneficiaries upon receipt of requisite documents from them and to submit a quarterly report in this regard. To cut down the delay in disbursal of pension to the old artists, release of artists pension to the selected beneficiaries is made by the Ministry itself upon receipt of requisite documents from them from the year 2017-18.

This reply was given by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region Shri G Kishan Reddy in Lok Sabha today.