Assam Government Announces Beneficiaries of Artist Pension Scheme for 2024-25

There is a vast cultural diversity in arts and craft at the heart of Assamese life as a tradition. To honor and acknowledge the countless contributions of its artists, recently the Government of Assam through its Cultural Department, had declared beneficiaries of Artist Pension Scheme for 2024-25. The intention is to give financial stability and legitimacy to the older generation of artists, who have spent their lives in conserving and nurturing the cultural legacy of state.

Background of the Artist Pension Scheme

Artist Pension Scheme created to celebrate and assist the artist at or over 60 with 25 years experience in their craft. The scheme provides pension to them on a monthly basis so that these retirees will be able to spend their twilight years in terms of comforts and security. This year the Cultural Department has gone out of its way to simplify the process of shortlisting, in hopes it is more transparent and inclusive.

Selection Process

Beneficiaries under 2024-25 Artist Pension Scheme were shortlisted. The applications were reviewed under a careful expert committee comprising of professionals from diverse fields i.e., music, dance, theatre and visual arts. The panel would judge the work of individual artist, their contribution to cultural community, and how good/negative are the ways that they helped into promotion of Assam culture.

Beneficiaries in 2024-25

Assam government’s Cultural Affairs department Thursday declared the recipients of artist pension scheme for 2024-25, showcasing a momentous step to help the arts community. This means that 73 artists from Assam will get 13 months pension under this scheme. The government has also declared that family pensions of 29 dead artists would be provided. Thereafter the pension will be paid at a monthly rate of Rs. 8,000 to their families from Jan 17.

The government has increased its backing; the central government will provide a one time grant of Rs. 50,000 to 179 artists from different districts across the state. Further, there will be special one time assistance to families of 10 artists and the scheme will include differently abled five in one-time grant also.

The government is ensuring this wide range of support package in order to acknowledge and sustain the contributions by the artistic community from Assam, a reaffirmation of commitment by the government to sustain cultural preservation and welfare.

Impact and Future Prospects

In Assam, the beneficiaries of Artist Pension Scheme has been announced which has received a big applause from artists and cultural fraternity. Artists and connoisseurs of culture in large number have thanked the Govt for its proactive steps towards identifying and compensating contributions done by the senior artists. The pension will not only tide over them financially, but also be a morale boost and motivate these artists work further, to train next generation in the field.

Moving forward, the Cultural Department expressed optimism on the expansion of the scheme. There are plans to scale the beneficiaries listing and possibly the scale of the pension as well. It is also experimenting to include more artists, those not from marginalized communities and those working in less-privileged art forms in this scheme.

Conclusion

Artist Pension Scheme is a core initiative by Assam Government which testifies to the commitment for sustaining and nurturing state culture of Assam artist program system. Financial assistance to the senior artists by Government apart from giving due recognition of their past contribution, it also makes sure that they’d be there in the fabric of culture of Assam to move forward. The roll-out of beneficiaries for this year (2024-25) is a watershed moment in finally acknowledging and celebrating the artistic community, a signal to other states that this is the way forward. Artists of Assam and others who have worked to form a fabric of lives are many. The Artist Pension Scheme speaks to the dedication of the government in resurrecting these threads and guaranteeing that the tapestry so woven shall remain in perpetuity.