Mangaluru: The encouragement and support of human resources development ministry will go a long way in promoting Indian culture and heritage among youth in India, said Kiran Seth, founder president of Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY). This support is helping the organisation fulfil the vision of the society in a number of ways, Seth, also a professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, said.

Interacting with reporters during a visit to Sharada Vidyalaya here on Monday, Seth said All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has informed all its approved institutions numbering around 10,000 to be associated with SPIC-MACAY.

These institutions will promote activities by allocating some fund annually, he said. AICTE has also suggested guidelines for organizing the society activities and institutions could register on www.spicmacay.com.

The NSS section of union ministry of skill development has instructed NSS units of all states to take steps to encourage participation of NSS volunteers in SPIC-MACAY activities, he said. The ministry has observed that the NSS has focused a lot on the tangible domain, which is important. However, it has also said that there is a need to focus on the rich and composite intangible heritage of the country by participating in a range of SPIC-MACAY activities, he said.

MHRD has proposed to provide support to SPIC-MACAY under the social responsibility scheme in higher education. It has already approved Rs 10 lakh for SPIC-MACAY activities in centrally funded institutions such as all IITs, NITs, IIITs, IIFRS, SPAs and IIMs for the current fiscal, he said.

This support of the ministry will ensure that more youth in these premier institutions of higher learning in the country too are exposed to the nation’s cultural heritage, he said.