Indian Council for Cultural Relations

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations was formally set up in 1950, with the primary objective of establishing, reviving and strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries. Its aims, as enunciated in the Memorandum of Association, are:

• To participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes relating to India's cultural relations with other countries;
• To foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries;
• To establish and develop relations with national and international organizations in the field of culture.

The Council has worked steadily to attain these objectives. The major activities of the Council include:

• Administration of scholarship schemes for overseas students on behalf of the Government of India and other agencies, and to supervise the welfare of international students;
• Grant of scholarships to foreign students to learn Indian dance and music;
• Exchange of Exhibitions;
• Organization of and participation in international seminars and symposia;
• Participation in major cultural festivals abroad;
• Organization of 'Festivals of India' abroad;
• Exchange of groups of performing artistes;
• Organization of lecture-demonstrations by performing artistes abroad;
• To maintain the Distinguished Visitors Programme, under which eminent personalities from abroad are invited to India and Indian experts are sent abroad to deliver lectures on issues of mutual interest;
• To establish and operate Chairs for Indian Studies in universities abroad;
• Presentation of books, audio-visual material, art objects and musical instruments to institutions abroad;
• To provide the Secretariat for the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding; Organization of the annual Maulana Azad Memorial Lecture and the Maulana Azad Essay Competition;
• The publication of books and journals for distribution in India and abroad;
• The operation of Indian Cultural Centres abroad;
• The maintenance of a well-stocked library and the manuscripts of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad;
• The digitization of rare manuscripts;
• Awarding of Library Fellowships, and
• To undertake projects on behalf of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The activities of the Council are decided and approved by its Governing Body. The Council received Rs 15070.00 Lakhs as Grant-in-Aid from the Ministry of External Affairs for the year 2010-2011.