On Thursday, in order to encourage the students to practice arts, the Delhi government increased the number and amount of the scholarships.
"To make arts policy more inclusive, the Sahitya Kala Parishad of Delhi government has introduced a number of new programs and broadened the scope of existing ones," a statement from Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said.
The main highlight of the scheme is the inclusion of the new categories such as:
- Community arts
- Visual arts and research in art development
- Broadening the scope of music
- Theater and dance categories now include new forms like folk, hip-hop, rap along with traditional art forms
During the announcement, Sisodia said “the main goal is to make art practice and funding more inclusive and not just follow hierarchies.”
"While on the one hand supporting artists practicing traditional arts is important, it is equally important for us to acknowledge newer forms of expressions of the common people and support that. Why have hierarchies in arts if our aim to build an equal society?" he added.
According to the scheme, a candidate who applies to the Sahitya Kala Parishad and grabs one seat can get a scholarship of INR 4000 per month for visual arts, dance, theater, music and community arts, and Rs 12,000 per month for research and arts development.
"The last date to apply at Sahitya Kala Parishad is September 10 and forms can be downloaded from its official website," Sisodia's office said.