Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The culture ministry has set up a help desk to deal with queries related to participation in three nationwide competitions — Desh Bhakti Geet (patriotic song) writing, Rangoli making (decorative art made on floor) and Lori (lullaby) writing — announced recently under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav or celebrations of 75 years of independence.
The help desk is among various measures taken by the ministry to ensure maximum participation in the contests announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat on October 24. Officials said the objective is to give adequate information about registration and the process of filling up forms for the competitions.
“For all details about participation in the nationwide contests and guidelines, one can visit the portal http://amritmahotsav.nic.in. For further assistance with the registration process in ‘Deshbhakti Geet Writing’, ‘Rangoli Making’ & ‘Lori Writing’, people may contact the numbers 8700269338 and 9999276781,” said an official government source.
This initiative aims to encourage participation and ensure substantial public participation. Union culture minister G Kishan Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and government agencies have been encouraging citizens to be part of the campaign named Unity in Creativity on various platforms.
The competitions are being held at district, state and national levels. The winner at national level will get a cash award of Rs 6 lakh and first runner-up Rs 5 lakh. The third prize is Rs 4 lakh. At district level and state level, the prize money is Rs 3,000 to Rs 1 lakh.
The culture ministry has also prepared a short video to guide participants on how to take part. Announcing the programme, Modi had said that “Amrit Mahotsav must be filled with colours of art, culture, songs and music”. Celebrities and eminent personalities such as Lata Mangeshkar, AR Rahman, Sudarsan Pattnaik also encouraged people to send entries.
