Only 13 Young Artists From Jammu Kashmir Selected for National Culture Scholarships in 4 Years | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Just 13 young artists from Jammu and Kashmir have been approved for scholarships under the central Award of Scholarships to Young Artists in Different Cultural Fields scheme over four batch years, despite dozens of applications from the Union Territory, official data tabled in the Lok Sabha shows.

According to the Ministry of Culture’s reply, Jammu and Kashmir received a total of 44 applications across the 2019 to 20, 2020 to 21, 2021 to 22 and 2022 to 23 batches. Of these, only 13 applicants were selected as approved scholars. The approval rate has fluctuated sharply, with just one scholar selected in 2019 to 20, six in 2020 to 21, one in 2021 to 22 and five in 2022 to 23, highlighting an uneven pattern of selection from the Union Territory.

The figures were disclosed in response to an unstarred question on the status of scholarships awarded to young artists. The scheme is intended to support artists aged between 18 and 25 years in various cultural fields, offering financial assistance over two years to help them pursue advanced training under a guru or institution.

When placed in a national context, Jammu and Kashmir’s numbers appear modest. West Bengal alone accounted for 299 approved scholars over the same four batch years, while Maharashtra recorded 147 approvals and Odisha 126. Even smaller states such as Manipur secured 42 approved scholars during the period. In contrast, the Union Territory’s approvals remained in single digits in most years.

The ministry maintained that selections are carried out through a multi stage process involving scrutiny, interviews and evaluation by expert committees, with a fixed national cap of 400 scholars approved per batch year. This ceiling, officials indicated, partly explains why several states record low approval ratios despite high application numbers.

On concerns regarding delays, the government did not provide any year wise data on the average or maximum time taken for sanction and disbursement of scholarship funds. It also did not indicate whether any formal review or audit has been undertaken to examine delays in processing or payment of scholarships. Instead, the ministry said funds are released in four six monthly instalments, and that subsequent instalments depend on timely submission of progress reports by scholars.