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About ZCC

INTRODUCTION
In India – a country with rich and diverse cultural heritage, the need for openness and understanding amongst people and healthy response and respect for different traditions becomes imperative. Over the years the economic and technological progress in the country has resulted in a paradigm shift of preferences in favour of sophisticated and high tech modes of entertainment. The technological onslaught has seen to the decay and demise of many of our traditional and rural art forms. In this background it became imperative to set up a mechanism for preservation and promotion of our inherited values and rich  cultural heritage.   To serve this noble purpose the Zonal Culture Centres were formed by the Govt. of India.

FORMATION
The establishment of  Zonal Cultural Centre was announced by the Prime Minister of India for the northern region during his visit to Hussainiwala, Punjab on 23^rd March, 1985.  The concept was enlarged with the setting up of seven Zonal Cultural Centres in the 7^th Five Year Plan.  These centres have been set up cutting across the territorial and linguistic boundaries and reflect and project not only the uniqueness of forms and culture of the participating states but also their linkages with each other as part of a composite Indian culture.
These Zonal Cultural Centres were located away from the state capitals (except Eastern Zone Culture Centre in Kolkata), the criterion for selection being the traditional cultural moorings of the place  and its accessibility to the people.  Institutionally each centre has a complex which includes galleries for exhibitions, facilities for performing arts, auditorium, archives and library etc. The seven cultural centres are located at :

OBJECTIVES
The Zonal Cultural Centres have been set up with the prime objective of creative development of Indian culture in the different regions and for building up a sense of cultural cohesiveness in the country. The ZCCs work for national unity through cultural integration. They seek to inspire, foster and promote fine arts, dance, drama, music, theatre, crafts and related forms of creative expression. The mandate of the centres requires it to take culture, hitherto, the preserve of the elite and affluent, to the door steps of the common man. The ZCCs also work towards promotion of art forms by improving opportunities for the artists for performance and also by documenting their art forms. The special feature of the Zonal Cultural Centres is the emphasis on people's participation which is ensured through adequate representation to exponents of various arts forms, promotion of a rural art forms, stress on folk art and tribal art and through organisation of traditional village fares and festivals.

ORGANISATIONAL SET-UP
The Zonal Cultural Centres has been set up as registered autonomous bodies under the Societies Registration Act. They are governed by a governing body which is headed by the Governor of the state in which the Zonal Cultural Centre has its headquarter. The governing body consist of the nominees of Government of India not below the rank of Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, nominee of the participating state Governments and eminent personalities in various art disciplines. Besides the Governing Body the ZCCs also have Finance Committee and Programme committees to oversee and decide upon the programme content for the year and the expenditure pattern. The day to day affairs of the centres are seen by the Director of the Centre.