Minister for Tamil Official Language, Tamil Culture and Archeology Thangam Thennarasu on Thursday made many new announcements while replying to the discussion on the demands for grants for his departments
Rs 6 crore Will be spent to organise Namma Ooru Thiruvizha, a grand folk arts festival held in Chennai recently, in Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Tirunelveli
10 Early Pandya Period cave temples at Pathinaalamper (Tirunelveli), Magibalanpatti (Sivaganga), Kurathiyarai and Sivagiri (Kanniyakumari), Pudupatti, Sevilipatti, Thiruchuzhi, Moovaraivendran, Thiruthangal and Anaiyur (Virudhunagar) to be declared as protected monuments
Rs 50 lakhWill be spent to conduct Pongal Vizha — a cultural festival showcasing heritage folk arts — in Chennai and 10 other districts
Government will introduce new scheme to provide for both in-situ and ex-situ preservation and protection of various archaeological treasures such as loose sculptures and inscriptions found in State
Rs 6 crore Will be allocated so that teaching is modernised and pedagogy improved at all musical schools and colleges by providing musical instruments, accessories, computer labs, software, recording studios, furniture and other facilities
Tamil folk and classical arts will be promoted by organising cultural programmes at various locations like parks, beaches, museums and other places at cost of Rs 1 crore
Rs 77 lakh To be spent on documentation and digitisation of ancient graffiti and Tamil-Brahmi-inscribed potsherds; links between Indus script and such graffiti will be explored
Danish Fort at Tharangambadi, damaged during a recent cyclone, will be restored at cost of Rs 65 lakh
Rs 89 lakh will be given to the Indus Research Centre at Roja Muthiah Research Library to identify, collate, document, preserve and disseminate the information generated by the Department of Archaeology through excavations and other programmes
‘Brodie Castle’ - the heritage building of Government Music College, Chennai - will be restored at cost of Rs 2.80 crore
Bronze icon galleries at Government Museum, Chennai will be upgraded by adopting best-in-class museum practices to enhance the experience and display at cost of Rs 7 crore
The iconic Museum Theatre at Government Museum, Chennai will be reopened for performances by upgrading air-conditioning, lighting, seating and fire safety equipment at Rs 3 crore