NEW DELHI: The National School of Drama (NSD) has put on hold the proposal to set up regional centres across the country till it receives the status of institution of national importance, the government told Parliament today.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that the broad-based committee set up by the NSD Society in February 2005 had recommended opening of five regional centres of the institute across the country.
On the basis of these recommendations, the decision to establish five regional centres during the 11th Five Year plan period (2007-2012), one each at Kolkata, Mumbai, Jammu and Kashmir and North-East, besides upgrading the existing regional resource-cum-research centre, Bengaluru, to a full-fledged regional centre was taken by the government, Sharma said.
"To review the position of opening of NSD centres, the NSD Society constituted a sub-committee.
The NSD society, on the recommendations of the sub-committee, decided to defer the opening of such centres till such time that the status of institution of national importance is granted to NSD," he said.
So far, only Karnataka has provided land (in 2013) at Bengaluru for the purpose of setting up such centres where one year theatre training course is being organised by the NSD, the minister said.
He also said that proposals for opening of NSD centres in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have also been received by the NSD.
Sources said that the degree/diploma/certificate course proposed to be offered at the regional centres by the NSD is only possible after it is declared an Institution of National Importance by a special legislation.
The proposal to declare NSD as an Institution of National Importance is still under consideration by the central government, sources said.