The mission of the department is to preserve, promote and disseminate all forms of art and culture. In order to achieve this, the department undertakes the following activities:

• Maintenance and conservation of heritage, historic sites and ancient monuments
• Administration of libraries
• Promotion of literary, visual and performing arts
• Observation of centenaries and anniversaries of important national personalities and events
• Promotion of institutions and organizations of Buddhist and Tibetan studies
• Promotion of institutional and individual non-official initiatives in the fields of art and culture
• Entering into cultural agreements with foreign countries.
• The functional spectrum of the Department ranges from creating cultural awareness from the grass root level to the international cultural exchange level.