India’s Cultural Diplomacy and Soft-Power Instruments

India’s cultural diplomacy is built around institutional schemes, heritage projects and academic exchanges that project civilisational influence abroad. These instruments preserve historical linkages, promote people-to-people contact and support India’s soft-power presence in global forums.

The Global Engagement Scheme (GES)

The Global Engagement Scheme is the Ministry of Culture’s principal mechanism for structured bilateral and multilateral cultural cooperation. It supports overseas cultural outreach, heritage linkages and international exchange programmes.

• Administrative authority: The Ministry of Culture administers the scheme to promote India’s cultural heritage internationally and expand the country’s global footprint.
• Extension and outlay: The Union Government revised and extended the scheme from FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31, with a total financial outlay of ₹299.94 crore.
• Budget support: In the Union Budget FY 2026–27, the scheme’s allocation was increased to ₹30 crore from ₹4.65 crore in FY 2025–26.
• Sub-schemes: The scheme operates through four 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.
• Bilateral framework: India maintains Cultural Exchange Programmes (CEPs) with 98 countries under this broader structure.

Project Mausam

Project Mausam focuses on reviving maritime routes and historical connections across the Indian Ocean region. It links India’s coastal heritage with wider trans-regional exchanges in trade, religion and culture.

• Launch: The Ministry of Culture launched Project Mausam in 2014 at the 38th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Doha, Qatar.
• Implementation: The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is the nodal coordinating agency, with support from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the National Museum.
• Geographical scope: The initiative documents, maps and studies maritime, cultural and historical links across 39 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
• Objective: A key aim is to identify places and archaeological sites for trans-national nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• Thematic focus: Research covers monsoon wind patterns, ancient maritime trade routes and shared intangible cultural practices among littoral states.

Brihattar Bharat and Other Sub-Schemes

Other sub-schemes under the Global Engagement Scheme trace India’s cultural expansion through land routes and preserve vulnerable traditions within the country.

• Brihattar Bharat mandate: The Brihattar Bharat (Greater India) project, administered by the IGNCA, studies historical, cultural and civilisational connections across East Asia, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
• Territorial reach: The project covers research across 28 countries, with a focus on the spread of Buddhism and Sanskrit traditions.
• Intangible cultural heritage: The Scheme for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage documents and revitalises vulnerable tribal arts, oral traditions and traditional craftsmanship within India.
• Festival of India: Under the ICEP component, India organises the Festival of India abroad, giving artists a platform to present folk, classical and contemporary arts.
• Exchange value: These activities combine cultural projection with academic and artistic interaction, strengthening India’s presence in partner countries.

Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is the main operational agency under the Ministry of External Affairs for international cultural engagement. It supports scholarships, cultural outreach and institutional linkages with foreign nationals.

• Establishment: The ICCR was founded on April 9, 1950, by independent India’s first Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
• Status: It is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of External Affairs.
• Leadership: The council’s executive leadership includes Director General K. Nandini Singla; the post of ICCR President remains vacant.
• Scholarship slots: For academic year 2024–25, the ICCR allocated 3,960 scholarship slots to foreign nationals under 20 scholarship schemes.
• Institutional access: These scholarships enable foreign students to study in around 134 designated Indian universities and academic institutions.

Key Prelims Takeaways

• GES: The Global Engagement Scheme is the Ministry of Culture’s umbrella framework for international cultural cooperation.
• Funding: The scheme was extended from FY 2026–27 to FY 2030–31 with an outlay of ₹299.94 crore.
• Budget allocation: Its FY 2026–27 allocation was increased to ₹30 crore.
• Core components: GES includes ICEP, Project Mausam, Brihattar Bharat and the scheme for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
• Project Mausam: It was launched in 2014 at Doha and covers 39 Indian Ocean countries.
• Brihattar Bharat: The project studies civilisational links across 28 countries in East, Southeast and Central Asia.
• ICCR: The council was established on April 9, 1950, and offered 3,960 scholarship slots in 2024–25.