SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded cultural mapping of just 6,926 villages under the Centre’s flagship National Mission on Cultural Mapping, a relatively modest share compared to several larger states, raising questions about the depth and pace of documentation of the Union Territory’s diverse cultural heritage.
The information was placed before the Lok Sabha on Monday, in response to a starred question on the status of the National Cultural Mapping exercise. The Ministry of Culture informed Parliament that the Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar portal, the digital backbone of the National Mission on Cultural Mapping, has so far mapped 6,23,449 villages across the country out of 6,38,365 identified villages. Jammu and Kashmir’s contribution stands well below states such as Uttar Pradesh, which has over 1,03,000 villages mapped, and Rajasthan with more than 46,000.
The MGMD portal documents village-level cultural elements including heritage sites, folk and traditional art forms, artists, oral traditions, customs, fairs and festivals, attire, cuisine and local landmarks. However, the ministry acknowledged that the data is maintained strictly in a village-wise format and is not aggregated element-wise, limiting insights into the actual number of artists, cultural sites or traditional practices documented in each region.
In comparison, neighbouring and culturally rich regions have reported wider coverage. Himachal Pradesh has mapped 18,735 villages, while Ladakh has covered 238 villages. Odisha has uploaded data from 47,209 villages, including 998 villages in Bhadrak district and 2,798 villages in Balasore district.
The ministry clarified that the MGMD portal functions as a centralised national digital platform integrating cultural data collected from villages across India, including regions such as Mewar in Rajasthan. The portal allows public access and also provides a ‘Contribute’ feature through which local communities can submit cultural information, subject to validation and moderation.
Despite the scale of the exercise, the government admitted that the National Mission on Cultural Mapping does not provide any financial assistance to states or Union Territories. The scheme’s focus remains limited to cultural documentation and information gathering, with no grants released to Jammu and Kashmir or any other region under the mission.
On capacity building, the ministry stated that there is no proposal under the mission to support marginalised artists through training or skill development programmes. This absence is likely to be keenly felt in regions like Jammu and Kashmir, where traditional crafts and performing arts are already under economic stress.
The government maintained that the cultural mapping data is intended to support policy planning, development of cultural clusters and strengthening of heritage tourism circuits.
