RK News Service
Srinagar, May 26: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday chaired a high-level meeting of the Central Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) at Lok Bhavan, where he directed the acceleration of the digitisation process of all Academy libraries and the implementation of a well-crafted plan for capacity building of Academy artists and staff.
The Central Committee granted in-principle approval to several key proposals, including affiliation for continuing the Calligraphy Course, the Annual Plan of Expenditure for FY 2026-27, and the designing of a new Academy logo, which will feature all five official languages of Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Principal Secretary Culture Brij Mohan Sharma, Commissioner Secretary Higher Education Ram Niwas Sharma, JKAACL Secretary Harvinder Kour, Dr Satish Vimal, Prof Bashar Bashir, and Principals of the Institute of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Jammu and University of Kashmir.
The Lieutenant Governor directed the acceleration of the digitization process of all Academy libraries and the implementation of a well-crafted plan for capacity building of Academy artists and staff. He instructed the Academy to expedite the process of accreditation of artists and filling of vacant posts.
“A comprehensive strategy involving the Education, Sports, and Culture departments must be formulated to promote vibrant cultural activities in schools and colleges to boost youth engagement,” Sinha said. He applauded the Culture Academy’s performance in the Vande Mataram initiative.
Principal Secretary Culture Brij Mohan Sharma gave a detailed presentation highlighting JKAACL’s recent milestones. The committee was informed that the Academy successfully organized over 470 events across Jammu, Kashmir, and other parts of the country, engaging 14,117 artists and writers.
Major commemorative events included 150 Years of Vande Mataram celebrations, Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, Har Ghar Tiranga Yatra, Nukkad Natak under the Nasha Mukt J&K Campaign, Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas, Birth Anniversary of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and Constitution Day.
It was further informed that the Jammu and Kashmir Tableau was a major attraction during the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on October 31, 2025. Furthermore, the J&K Tableau clinched the Second Prize at the Republic Day Parade 2026 in New Delhi—a historic national achievement for the Union Territory after 24 years.
The Committee also reviewed the Action Taken Report from the previous meeting held in 2021. On the occasion, a Shina-Urdu dictionary and the Annual Report of the Academy were also released.