Few mountain system in the world have so profoundly influenced the psyche of people as the Himalayas have done ours. Like all mountains a certain uniformity of cultural patterns can be seen here also from the north-eastern to the north-western Himalayas. The apparent unity of Himalayan culture is reinforced by the influence of Lamaism from the north and the cultural influences from the plains. However, the Himalayas have three distinct eco-cultural division (1) north-eastern region which consists of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the remaining States of the north-east where Himalayan culture is relatively well preserved (2) the middle region consisting of Uttar Pradesh where the Himalayan eco-system has been severely damaged and (3) the northern-western Himalayas consisting of Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir and Ladakh where both the Lama cultural traditions and the "Hindu" tradition survive but where a great deal of pilfering of art objects is going on. Therefore, the three distinct cultural situations and the three sets of problems of preservation and development have to be recognised.

At present we have no institution for the study of Himalayan culture as a whole. The north-western Regional Office of the Anthropological Survey of India, located at Dehradun, has concentrated on the studies of Himalayan Communities. It has also collected artifacts of various communities in Himalayas and is assisting the Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya at Bhopal in collection from selected communities. The Garhwal University at Srinagar has departments of anthropology and ancient history and archaeology. There are universities at Shimla, Kumaon, Srinagar, and a university is coming up in Arunachal Pradesh. They propose to have their museums. There is also the North-Eastern Hill University. Then we have museums at the district level in Arunachal Pradesh "Palace Museum" (Leh, Chamba, Jammu) and local level museums in Himachal Pradesh, apart from the state level museums. At the third level, we have enterprising individuals or groups who have been collecting artifacts on their own for preservation.

a) Study and research of all aspects of cultural heritage;

b) Collection of objects of art and craft and documentation of cultural artifacts including the folk, music, dance and literature;

c) Dissemination through audio-visual programmes of art and culture;

d) Training in traditional and Folk Art; and

e) Assisting and setting up of museums and libraries etc

(ii) The voluntary institution should have the capacity to undertake and promote research projects. It should have facilities, resources and personnel to implement the scheme for which the grant is required;

(iii) The work of the voluntary institution should be reported as satisfactory by the respective State Government;

(iv )The voluntary organization should have a well-defined constitution;

(v) The voluntary organization should not be run for profit by any individual or group of individuals;

(vi) The institutions concerned such as Universities etc. should introduce in their curricula or research course aspects of studies relating to preservation of Himalayan art and culture, in case not already done;

(vii) A college applying for the grant should be affiliated to the university which fulfils the condition (vi) already.

The universities and colleges shall forward their applications through the U.G.C. and the voluntary institutions, societies, trusts or individuals etc., should send their applications through the Governments of the respective State/Union Territory to the Government of India in the Department of Culture. The State Government University Grants Commission will make their specific recommendation on the projects that a particular university/college or the voluntary institution, as the case may be, is capable of undertaking such projects.

1 The assistance will be distributed over two or three instalments as decided by the Department of Culture. The second subsequent instalment would be released after the Utilisation Certificate in respect of the previous instalment has been received;

2 The grantee institution/organisation/individual shall be liable for inspection by an officer of the Department of Culture and their accounts would be open to check by an officer of Controller and Auditor General.

3 The institution/organisation/individual shall maintain a record of all assets/activities undertaken with the assistance of the Government of India.

4 When the State Government/Government of India have reasons to believe that the sanctioned money is not being utilised for approved purposes, the payment of grant may be stopped and earlier grants may be recovered;

5 The grantee institution/organisation/individual shall furnish to the Department periodic progress report of the project for which the grant has been sanctioned till the completion of the project.

Adequate provision will be made in the plan of the Department of Culture for long-term and short-term projects mentioned above. The disbursement under the later shall be made by the Department of Culture. The Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya shall frame, coordinate and monitor the long-term project until further orders.