The scheme “Kalakar Kritadnyata Nidhi” was launched by the Directorate of Art & Culture, Government of Goa. The “Pandemics” component of the scheme aims to provide financial assistance to aged and needy Goan artists who have lost the source of income due to the pandemic. The scheme provides relief in the form of financial assistance amounting to a minimum of ₹5,000/- (lumpsum) up to a maximum of ₹10,000/- (lumpsum) to eligible artists affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benefits

• One-time financial assistance in the range of ₹5,000/- to ₹10,000/- (lumpsum) per eligible artist, as decided by the committee.
• Released in the Bank Account (Nationalized Bank) of the artist.
• The disbursement is done in the form of Electronic Clearing Service mode.

Eligibility

• The artist must be a resident of Goa.
• The artist must be above 18 years of age.
• The artist must have lost the source of income due to the pandemic of COVID-19.
• The individual income of the artist (from all the sources) must not exceed ₹1,50,000/- per annum.
• The artist should be working and contributing in the field of art and culture fields, i.e. Music/Dance/Drama/Tiatr/ Folk/Kirtan/Bhajan/Painting/Sculpture/Literature/Cantarists/Sahittik/Poets/Photographers/traditional Handicraft etc.
• Artists should be in need of such financial assistance as contemplated in the scheme.
• The artist should solely be dependent on the art related activities/programmes.
• The artist shall not be a Government employee or an employee of Autonomous bodies, Corporations nor pensioner of any organization.

Exclusion

• Scheme will not be applicable to the beneficiaries of Kala Samman who get monthly pensions from Department of Art & Culture, Government of Goa and also to those who are receiving any other pension /financial assistance from the Government (Centre/State).
• The applicant working in private agency/company/institution on regular basis (on a regular payroll) are not eligible.
• However, the employees on contract/daily wages shall be considered provided their individual income from all sources does not exceed Rs.1.50 lakhs per annum.

Application Process

Offline

• Step 1: Visit the office of the Directorate of Art & Culture, Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji, Goa, and collect the prescribed application form for the scheme.
• Step 2: In the application form, fill in all the mandatory fields, and attach copies of all the mandatory documents (self-attest, if required).
• Step 3: Submit the completed application form along with all required documents directly to the Directorate of Art & Culture, Sanskruti Bhavan, Patto, Panaji, Goa.

Post-Application Processes

• Step 1: The Directorate shall forward the application to the sub-committee for scrutinizing the application thoroughly. The Director shall give its recommendations to the sub-committee.
• Step 2: The sub-committee shall consider the received applications and recommend the applicants which are considered fit by the sub-committee to avail the benefits under this scheme. The committee shall decide the quantum of assistance to be released to the needy artist.
• Step 3: After the committee decides on the quantum of assistance, the approval from the Government shall be obtained for disbursement of the financial assistance.
• Step 4: After obtaining Government approval, the Director shall disburse the one-time financial assistance amount to the applicant in the form of Electronic Clearing System mode to the bank account.

Documents Required

• Domicile Certificate
• Proof of Age
• Income Certificate
• Proof of Recent Contribution in the field of Art and Culture
• Self-signed Affidavit/Declaration (on ₹50/- Stamp Paper) regarding the Individual Income (from all sources).
• *Either a Proof or a Self-signed Affidavit/Declaration may be required from the applicant regarding: Loss of the source of income due to the pandemic of COVID-19; Solely dependence on the art related activities/programmes.