SCHEME OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR PRESERVATION OF MANUSCRIPTS/ RARE BOOKS

1. TITLE

This scheme will be known as 'Scheme of Financial Assistance' to registered non Governmental Organisations, which includes colleges, libraries/ museums/ universities/ deemed universities and individuals for preservation of manuscripts/ rare books.

2. SCOPE

Under this Scheme, financial assistance to registered voluntary organisations, educational institutions including private colleges, private libraries and museums, universities including deemed universities and individuals would be provided for listing, cataloguing, evaluation, translation and publication of manuscripts/ rare books, historical documents and photographs, charts, maps etc., in their custody. The scheme will also provide financial assistance for technical advice for scientific preservation, for repair and microfilming of rare books/manuscripts. The assistance would also be provided for purchase of manuscripts.

3. TYPE OF INSTITUTIONS/ORGANISATIONS ETC., ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE

• State/ National level non-Governmental organizations, educational institutions, including private colleges, libraries and museums, universities, deemed universities, etc.
• Freedom fighters, families of erstwhile princely houses, big zamindars, individuals, temples, churches, khankas, mutts, having hereditary collections of manuscripts/records of historical importance.

4. EXTENT OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

• The financial assistance will be of a non-recurring nature. It will be given in the ratio of 75:25 i.e. the Central Government's share will be 75% and the matching contribution of the grantee being 25%. In the case of Central Universities, the Government will bear 100% expenditure of a project covered under the scheme.
• The maximum limit of financial assistance, under the scheme would be Rs. 2.00 lakhs (Rupees two lakhs only) per year/ per project.

Exception:- If the Central Government is satisfied that an institution/library, etc., has done commendable work and has the competence and ability to continue it, recurring financial assistance may be continued up to three to five years for the specific project. The exact period for which the grant is approved and the conditions under which it will operate will be communicated to the institution/library etc., at the time of approving the project.

• The grant under the scheme will be made after taking into consideration the grant received or likely to be received from other sources for the same project.

5. PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

The organization should submit their applications for financial assistance through the State Level Screening Committee (SLSC) or Union Territory Administrations/ State Archives. The State Level Screening Committee or Union Territory/ State Archives will forward the application to the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi - 110001, with their specific recommendations indicating the amount of grant and purpose for which grant is sought for.
Universities (including deemed universities) may send their applications directly through Registrar.
The application form should be submitted with the following documents:-

1. Registration certificate of the organization.
2. Constitution of the Board of Management and the particulars of each member, if applicable.
3. Copy of the latest available audit and annual report, if applicable.
4. A project report indicating duration and qualifications and experience of the experts engaged or proposed to be engaged on the project on contract basis.
5. Financial statement of the project giving item-wise details of recurring and non-recurring expenditure separately and source from which grantee will meet the matching share.
6. Information relating to the grant received, promised or the requests thereof made, if any, to other bodies, e.g. Universities, Central/ State Governments, Central Social Welfare Board or local bodies/ quasi-government institutions for the project under consideration. The decision of these bodies on such request should be communicated to the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
7. A statement of full receipts and expenditure of the institution/ organisation for the previous three years and a copy of the Balance Sheet for the previous year certified by a Chartered Accountant or Government Auditor (if applicable).
5. CONDITIONS FOR GRANTS

• An institution/ organization in receipt of financial assistance shall be open to inspection by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India or his nominee. Similarly, the collection of manuscripts of an individual in receipt of financial assistance shall be open to inspection.
• The accounts of the project should be maintained separately and submitted as and when required. They are required to be made available for inspection by the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India or his nominee.
  They shall also be made available for inspection by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India at his discretion.
• The Institution/ Organisation/Individual shall maintain a record of all assets acquired wholly or substantially out of the Government grant. Such assets shall not be disposed of, encumbered or utilised for purposes other than those for which the grant was given without prior sanction of the Government of India. If the Institute/ Organisation/Individual ceases to exist at any time, such properties shall revert to the Government of India.
• When the State Government/Government of India have reasons to believe that the sanctioned money is not being utilized for approved purposes, the payment of grant may be stopped and the earlier grants recovered with 10% penal interest.
• The Institution/ Organisation/ Individual must exercise reasonable economy in the working of the approved project.
• The Institution/ Organsiation and collection of manuscripts of an individual must be open to all citizens of India without distinction of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.
• The Grantee/ Institution/ Organisation/ Individual shall furnish to Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India quarterly progress report of the project, indicating in details both the physical and financial achievements on each of the approved items, such reports shall continue to be furnished until the project is completed to the satisfaction of the Government of India.
• If the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, requires clarification on any point contained in the statement, the institution shall supply it within the time specified by the Ministry failing which the application will not be considered.
• The scheme would be monitored by a sub-committee and 30% of the grant sanctioned will be verified by the Central Government every year.