New Delhi: Crores of rupees released by the Central government to build and upgrade museums across the country remain largely unspent, with several projects recording little or no expenditure years after the funds reached them, according to Ministry of Culture data tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The data, submitted in a written reply by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, lists grants disbursed under the Museum Grant Scheme over the last five financial years. It details each organisation, along with the amounts sanctioned, released and utilised.
One of the most notable examples is the Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Museum at the Kunjaban Palace complex in the Tripura capital, Agartala. The government allocated Rs 10 crore for the museum, of which Rs 5 crore was released in 2021-22 through the Tripura Tourism Development Corporation. However, no expenditure has been recorded.
Similarly, the State Civil Aviation Council in Patiala in Punjab received Rs 2.5 crore the same year for a museum at the civil aerodrome. Again, no expenditure was recorded. More recently, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board released Rs 5 crore in 2025-26 for a Museum of Music at the Moti Mahal complex in Gwalior. It has spent just Rs 2.26 lakh so far.
In Andhra Pradesh, the state archaeology department released Rs 4 crore the same year for a museum at Kakinada, which has not been utilised so far. The government launched the Museum Grant Scheme in 2013 to help set up new museums, modernise existing ones and digitise collections. It also assists institutions run by governments, societies, autonomous bodies, PSUs, local bodies and trusts.
Explaining how the money is allocated, Shekhawat said grant-in-aid “is given on the basis of the category of the proposal submitted as per the Museum Grant Scheme”. Funds are released in instalments and tied to the scale of each project.
T he reply came in response to a question by Congress MP Shafi Parambil, who represents Vatakara in Kerala and had sought a state-wise account of grants as well as details specifically related to his state.
In Kerala, the government sanctioned Rs 2 crore over five years to a Thiruvananthapuram NGO named GALAXY to set up a new museum. Of this, only Rs 50 lakh was released in 2021-22. Seven proposals from the state, meanwhile, remain pending.
The reply noted that deficiencies were flagged for rectification in three cases, including the Gandhi Seva Sadan Kathakali academy in Palakkad and the Art Outreach Society in Fort Kochi, but no reply has been received from the applicants.
The scheme’s expert committee turned down a photography museum proposed in Thrissur, while plans for a Kerala Legislature museum and work at the Krishnapuram Palace Museum in Kayamkulam await a decision.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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