Thursday, 20 February 2025 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The State Culture department has received four applications so far for its initiative to provide musical instruments free of cost to the eligible with stress on those from the Scheduled Castes. Of these applications, two have been officially acknowledged by the department while the other two are currently awaiting evaluation by the director.
According to the department officials, the Culture department recently launched this initiative. To facilitate this, the department made a registration form available for interested individuals which must be completed and submitted to the district magistrate’s office in their respective districts to avail the benefits. The registration period started on January 28 and ended on February 15.
Since the end of the registration period, only four applications have been submitted, two of which are from Uttarkashi district. The department expects that it will receive more applications next week. The officials said that the process of gathering submissions from all districts takes time, adding that after the applications from all districts are collected, the department officials would present their status to the director for further actions.
They further said that after the director’s nod, a four-member committee would be formed to shortlist and verify each applicant’s documents for the selection process. Those selected will receive musical instruments free of cost.
To recall, the officials had earlier said that the applicants needed to be from the Scheduled Castes and income certificates must confirm earnings of Rs 2,000 per month, subject to verification by the relevant authorities, as eligibility criteria for availing benefits of the programme. Besides, each of the families to be selected will receive a tool to be provided once and designed for long-term use. Officials also had said that individuals aged between 18 and 60 years were eligible to fill up the form.
