Promotion of Tribal Culture (Financial Assistance to NGOs), Assam

What is the Promotion of Tribal Culture scheme in Assam?

Promotion of Tribal Culture is a grant-in-aid scheme run by the Directorate of Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes (WPT&BC), Government of Assam. The scheme gives registered non-government organisations, trusts and voluntary organisations financial assistance to carry out initiatives that protect and promote the culture of Scheduled Tribe (Plains) communities living in the plain districts of Assam.

According to the Directorate of WPT&BC, the scheme extends to ST (Plains) people residing in the plain districts of Assam, outside the Bodoland Territorial Council area, and financial assistance is given to eligible NGOs, charitable trusts and registered voluntary organisations for initiatives such as the protection and promotion of tribal culture.

An upper limit of Rs 3 lakh per organisation is fixed for various initiatives under the scheme. The Selection Committee approves the fund to be allotted to each organisation within that ceiling.

The Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes Department is one of Assam's main social welfare departments and covers ST (Plains), Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, More Other Backward Classes and minority communities in the plain districts. Cultural preservation sits alongside the department's education, economic development and infrastructure work for these communities.

What the scheme is for

• Supporting community organisations that keep tribal languages, songs, dances, crafts and rituals in active practice.
• Enabling documentation and public performance of cultural forms that are passed on orally and can be lost within a generation.
• Channelling limited public funds through organisations that already have a record of working in this field, rather than creating new institutions.

Who is eligible for the Promotion of Tribal Culture grant?

An organisation can be considered if:

• It is a voluntary organisation or NGO registered under the Societies Registration Act, or a registered trust or foundation.
• It has a background of working in the field of promotion of tribal culture, a documented track record, not merely an object clause in its memorandum.
• Its proposed initiative serves ST (Plains) communities in the plain districts of Assam.
• It submits the application in the prescribed format with all relevant documents to the Director, WPT&BC, Assam.

The following are not eligible:

• Individuals. An artist, performer, researcher or teacher cannot apply in a personal capacity, because the grant is made to organisations.
• Unregistered groups, informal clubs and committees that have no registration under the Societies Registration Act and no trust deed.
• Registered organisations with no history of tribal cultural work, since the Directorate requires a background in this specific field.
• For-profit companies and firms, which fall outside the NGO, trust and voluntary organisation categories the scheme names.
• Organisations seeking assistance for work inside the BTC area, which is outside the stated coverage of this scheme.

The Directorate states clearly that grant of financial assistance under this scheme is not a matter of right. Assistance is extended depending on the applicant satisfying the eligibility conditions and keeping in view the financial allocation available for the purpose in that year. An organisation that has been funded once therefore has no automatic claim in the next year.

What documents does an organisation need?

Applicants should collect the exact document checklist from the advertisement and the prescribed format issued by the Directorate for the year in which they apply, because the Directorate may add requirements from year to year.

How to apply for the Promotion of Tribal Culture scheme

1. Watch for the advertisement. The Director, WPT&BC, Assam advertises the scheme in widely circulated print media as well as electronic media, calling for applications. Applications are not accepted on a rolling basis.
2. Obtain the prescribed application format issued by the Directorate for this scheme, either from the advertisement or from the Directorate office and its website, directorwptbc.assam.gov.in.
3. Fill the form completely, describing the cultural initiative proposed, the communities it serves, the location, the timeline and the amount sought within the Rs 3 lakh ceiling.
4. Attach the supporting documents: registration certificate, evidence of past work on tribal culture, organisational bank account details and audited accounts.
5. Submit the application with all documents to the Director, Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes, Assam, by the date stated in the advertisement.
6. Await scrutiny by the Selection Committee, which examines all applications received in the prescribed format and approves the list of beneficiary organisations under the scheme.
7. Receive the sanctioned grant in the organisation's bank account once the Selection Committee's approved list is notified and the sanction is issued.

How are applications selected?

All applications received by the Director, WPT&BC, Assam are placed before the Selection Committee, which scrutinises them and approves the list of beneficiaries under the scheme. The Selection Committee also fixes the amount sanctioned to each organisation, up to the Rs 3 lakh ceiling, so an organisation that applies for the full Rs 3 lakh may be sanctioned less.

Two factors drive the outcome. The first is whether the organisation genuinely satisfies the eligibility conditions, particularly the requirement of a background in tribal cultural work. The second is the financial allocation available in the year, which limits how many organisations can be funded regardless of merit.

Why applications get rejected

• The organisation is not registered, or the registration certificate is not enclosed.
• No demonstrable background in tribal cultural work — a general welfare NGO applying for a cultural grant without a track record in this field.
• The application is not in the prescribed format, which the Directorate requires explicitly.
• Missing documents, most often the registration proof, bank details or audited accounts.
• The application is submitted outside the advertised window, since the scheme runs on a call-for-applications basis.
• Funds exhausted for the year, an eligible application can still go unfunded because the allocation is limited and the grant is not a matter of right.
• Work proposed outside the covered area, such as inside the BTC area or for communities not covered by the WPT&BC Directorate.

How the grant should be used

The grant is a public fund released to an organisation for a stated purpose, so the organisation should keep the money in its own bank account, spend it only on the sanctioned initiative, retain vouchers and bills for every item of expenditure, and be ready to furnish a utilisation certificate and accounts to the Directorate. Organisations that cannot account for a previous grant will find it difficult to be considered again.

Applicants should also note that the Directorate can apply conditions in the sanction letter itself, for example, the period within which the activity must be completed, or a requirement to acknowledge the Government of Assam in publicity for the funded event. Read the sanction letter carefully rather than assuming the terms in the advertisement are the whole story.

Where to get help

• Directorate of Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes, Assam; directorwptbc.assam.gov.in, which hosts the scheme page, the "how do I" guide and the downloadable forms.
• Welfare of Plain Tribes and Backward Classes Department, Government of Assam, assam.gov.in/web/welfare-of-plain-tribes-backward-classes-department.
• District Welfare Officer (Plain Tribes and Backward Classes) in your district, who can confirm whether a call for applications is currently open.

Applying is free. No fee is payable to any agent or intermediary for having an organisation's name included in the list, and the only valid route is the prescribed form submitted to the Director, WPT&BC, Assam.