The Ministry of Culture has detailed its framework for promoting India's cultural relations with other countries through the Global Engagement Scheme (GES), an umbrella initiative aimed at strengthening international cultural engagement and cultural diplomacy. The scheme seeks to promote India's civilizational heritage, cultural diversity, and contemporary creative traditions through structured bilateral and multilateral cooperation, supporting cultural exchanges, heritage conservation, documentation, capacity building, and engagement with international cultural organizations.
The Global Engagement Scheme comprises four specific components: the International Cultural Exchange Programme (ICEP), Project Mausam, Brihattar Bharat, and the Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India. Under the ICEP component, the Ministry undertakes Festivals of India, cultural exchanges, deputation of artists and cultural troupes, and implements Cultural Exchange Programmes (CEPs), Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), and other bilateral cultural cooperation mechanisms.
India currently maintains valid Cultural Exchange Programmes with 98 countries, providing an institutional framework for cooperation in the fields of culture, museums, heritage, performing arts, and other related sectors. The scheme also facilitates India's participation in multilateral cultural forums including BRICS, G20, SCO, and BIMSTEC.
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of External Affairs, complements these initiatives by promoting India's cultural heritage and strengthening people-to-people contacts through its network of Indian Cultural Centres and cultural programmes abroad. ICCR projects India's diverse culture in foreign countries by facilitating artistic exchanges through organizing flagship international cultural festivals in India, inviting foreign artists to perform, organizing visual arts exhibitions, hosting Art Residencies to showcase India's rich civilizational heritage, and commemorating national and international occasions in foreign countries including the International Day of Yoga.
This information was provided by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha on August 10, 2026, with release ID 2297151.