The Ministry of Culture administers a Scheme by the name of “Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists” for senior artists aged 60 years and above who have contributed significantly in their specialized fields of performing arts and culture, but are facing financial difficulties due to old age. Under the scheme, financial assistance of Rs. 6000/- per month is given to the selected artists aged 60 years and above whose annual income is not more than Rs. 48,000/- upon receipt of Digital Life Certificate once in a year and annual income certificate once in every Five years. As regards state wise funds sanctioned, the ‘Scheme for Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists’ is a Central Sector Scheme under which financial assistance is provided to the beneficiaries directly and is not routed through the States or Union Territories’. This reply was given by Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North-Eastern Region G Kishan Reddy in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
