Scheme of Financial Assistance for Publication of Manuscripts/Research Journals, Puducherry

What is the Scheme of Financial Assistance for Publication of Manuscripts and Research Journals?

Scheme of Financial Assistance for Publication of Manuscripts/Research Journals is a publication grant of the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Puducherry. The scheme provides financial assistance of Rs 10,000 towards the cost of publishing manuscripts and research journals on cultural subjects such as language, literature, philosophy, religion, history, music, dance, drama and other fine arts.

The scheme belongs to the department's larger head of Establishment and Promotion of Cultural Activities / Grant-in-Aid to Voluntary Cultural Institutions. The department describes that head as existing "to promote cultural and research activities in the field of literary arts, fine arts, plastic arts, performing arts as well as historic research by way of providing financial assistance to voluntary cultural organizations and research scholars in the form of grant-in-aid of maintenance, festival and for publication of Manuscripts".

Publication support of this kind matters in a union territory with an unusual linguistic map. Puducherry and Karaikal are Tamil-speaking, Mahe is Malayalam-speaking, Yanam is Telugu-speaking, and French remains an official link to the territory's history. The scheme accordingly accepts work in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, English and French.

Who is eligible for the manuscript publication grant?

You can apply if:

• Your proposed book or journal pertains to one or more cultural subjects, language, literature, philosophy, religion, history, music, dance, drama or other fine arts.
• The work is written in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, English or French.
• The work is a thesis, dissertation or original research based on personal study and critical analysis, and is not intended for obtaining any degree.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• The work is fiction. The scheme states expressly that fictional works are not eligible for financial assistance.
• The work is being submitted for a degree. Research that is going to a university for a doctorate or a master's award falls outside the scheme, even though a completed thesis that is not being submitted for a degree can qualify.
• The subject is outside the cultural field listed by the department. A technical manual, a commercial handbook or a textbook unrelated to the arts and humanities does not qualify.
• The work is in a language other than the five named.
• The work is not original, being a compilation or reproduction rather than research based on personal study and critical analysis.

What documents are required?

The department does not publish a separate document checklist for this scheme on its website, so applicants should confirm the current enclosure list at the counter when collecting the form.

How to apply for the publication assistance

Applications are received offline only. The department does not accept this grant application through the Puducherry e-District portal.

1. Complete the manuscript or research journal and prepare a short synopsis setting out the subject, the sources used and what is original in the work.
2. Obtain a printing estimate from a press or publisher, so that the department can assess the assistance against a real cost.
3. Visit the Department of Art and Culture during office hours at 1 Romain Rolland Street, Puducherry 605001, and request the hard copy of the prescribed application form from the staff entrusted with issuing and collecting applications.
4. Fill in all mandatory fields, paste a passport-size photograph signed across where the form requires one, and attach self-attested copies of all supporting documents.
5. Submit the completed application to the Superintendent, Department of Art and Culture, 1 Romain Rolland Street, Puducherry.
6. Request a receipt or acknowledgement from the Superintendent, ensuring it records the date and time of submission and a unique identification number where applicable.

Applicants in the other regions can route papers through the department's regional offices, the Assistant Library and Information Officer at 93 Masdhan Palli Street, Karaikal 609602 (04368-221472), the Government Public Library, Mahe 673310 (0490-2332222), and the Government Public Library, High School Road, Yanam 533464 (0884-2321243).

What conditions attach to a cultural grant from the department

The Department of Art and Culture applies a common set of conditions across its grant schemes, printed on its grant application forms. Applicants should expect:

• Separate accounts for the project, kept open to check or audit by an officer of the Education Department or the Directorate of Art and Culture.
• Recovery of the grant where the government has reason to believe the money was not properly utilised for the approved purpose within a reasonable or stipulated time.
• A bond with sureties in favour of the President of India, under which the grantee and the sureties are jointly and individually liable to refund the grant with interest on a breach of conditions.

Read those clauses before signing, because they are contractual rather than formal.

How to check the status of your application

The department does not run an online tracker for its grants. Follow up with the Superintendent at the Directorate, quoting the date on your acknowledgement. The department's contact numbers are 0413-2336203 and 0413-2349716, and the email address is art@py.gov.in.

Why applications are refused

• The work is fiction, which the scheme excludes outright.
• The work is being submitted for a degree, which takes it outside the eligibility condition.
• The subject is not cultural in the sense the department uses; language, literature, philosophy, religion, history, music, dance, drama or other fine arts.
• The language is outside the five accepted, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, English and French.
• No synopsis or manuscript enclosed, so originality cannot be assessed.
• No costing, so the assistance cannot be measured against a real publication expense.

Key dates and how sanctions are timed

The department does not publish a last date for this grant. Applications are received through the year and considered against the annual budget provision for the Establishment and Promotion of Cultural Activities head. Applying early in the financial year improves the chance of being taken up in the same cycle, particularly since the department's cultural calendar — Fête de Puducherry in June, the annual Kalai Vizha, and its literary awards, draws on the same head.

Related schemes worth knowing about

• Financial assistance to persons distinguished in letters and arts; Rs 1,500 to indigent Tamil scholars aged 58 and above with annual income up to Rs 24,000, and Rs 1,000 a month to artists in indigent circumstances.
• Scheme of Financial Assistance for Dance and Drama Troupes/Associations; Rs 2,000 to a registered troupe staging a new dance programme or drama.
• Research grants and literary awards, including the Thamizhmamani award, the Tholkapiar award, the Kamban Pugazh literary award, the Nehru Children Literary Award, the Kalaimamani award and the Telugu Ratna and Malayala Ratna awards, all with application forms published on art.py.gov.in.

Where to raise a grievance

• The Director, Department of Art and Culture, 1 Romain Rolland Street, Puducherry 605001 to phone 0413-2336203 or 0413-2349716, email art@py.gov.in.
• CPGRAMS at pgportal.gov.in for a written grievance.

The application form is issued free of cost, and no agent's fee is payable for filing it.