Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 20: Minister for Housing, Horticulture and Culture Raman Bhalla today said that the Government has initiated various steps for preservation and promotion of rich cultural heritage of the State.
The Minister was addressing a joint meeting of officers of Libraries, Culture, Archives, Archaeology and Museums Departments convened to review the present status with regard to achievements and expenditure on various ongoing projects taken in hand by the departments.
The Minister said the Government is committed to safeguard and promote the rich culture heritage of the state by ensuring the preservation of various folk arts and also preserving the various artefacts, which remind us of our rich cultural ethos.
The meeting was informed that an amount of Rs 20.24 crore has been incurred to upgrade the standard of the four Public Libraries in the State during last year. The 5-storey building for housing SPS Library at M. A. Road, Srinagar coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 15.00 crore, District Library Building, Udhampur being constructed by utilizing Rs 1.30 crore is at final stage, while as, the construction work on Tehsil Library building, Dooru and and Block Library Sogam is in progress at a cost of Rs 89 lakh and Rs 37.46 lakh respectively.
It was given out in the meeting that an amount of Rs. 20.30 lakh stands utilized for digitization of over 479 rare books available in three Libraries of the State including SRS Library, SPS Library and Research Publication Department in association with National Informatics Centre. As many as 1,90,200 borrowers, visitors have visited the Public Libraries of the State during last year, the meeting was informed.
The Minister stressed the need for preserving the rare books and artefacts in scientific way. He said these historical articles need to be put for display so that new generations are aware about the history and culture of ancestral heritage.
Giving details of various activities being carried out by the department, the Secretary Tourism and Culture Zaffar Ahmad briefed that repairs and renovation work on Abhinav Theatre at Jammu and Tagore Hall at Srinagar have almost been completed, adding that the chairs are being fixed permanently in these Halls for which the additional funds are being arranged. He said besides 1.40 lakh coins of different regimes and 1500 old Gilgit Script in Pali language, 500 years old antique articles, rare books and traditional Dresses (Jamawars) of Dogra rulers are available in Museums of the State.
Among others Director Gazetteers Muhammad Kazim Wani, Additional Secretary Culture Haroon Rashid, Deputy Director, Libraries Kashmir and Jammu Bilal Khursheed and Vipan Kumari, Deputy Director Archives, Archaeology and Museums M. Shafi Zahid and senior officers of Library, Culture Departments attended the meeting.
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