Srinagar, October 19 (Scoop News)-PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene for the revival and strengthening of Jammu and Kashmir’s cultural sector, seeking dedicated funding for local programming on Doordarshan and Akashvani, particularly DD Kashir, and sustained institutional support for the region’s struggling artistic community.
In a letter to Shah, Mehbooba stressed that Jammu and Kashmir’s artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers and cultural practitioners are not merely performers but custodians of its rich heritage and cultural ambassadors who contribute to India’s composite cultural identity, peace and national integration.
She called for adequate and dedicated funds to ensure that DD Kashir and Akashvani Kendras regularly commission and broadcast quality programmes showcasing local languages, folk traditions, music, literature, theatre and cinema.
Highlighting the need to provide artists with dignified and sustainable livelihoods, Mehbooba also urged the Union Ministry of Culture and other central cultural institutions to introduce special programmes and financial initiatives that create consistent opportunities for local talent.
“Supporting our artists and strengthening our cultural institutions is not merely a cultural responsibility; it is an investment in India’s cultural unity, national integration and the preservation of our rich civilisational heritage,” she wrote.
Mehbooba has also forwarded copies of the letter to the Union Ministers for Information and Broadcasting and Culture, seeking coordinated intervention to strengthen cultural institutions and ensure that Jammu and Kashmir’s artistic voices receive the recognition, resources and platforms they deserve. |