 INDIAN NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR
 COOPERATION WITH UNESCO AND
 UNESCO PROGRAMMES IN INDIA

As a member of Unesco, the Government of India lends support to the activities of the Organisation and receives financial and technical help from it in intiating and developing national and regional activities in the areas of education, natural sciences, social sciences, culture and mass communication. The Ministry of Education is the coordinating agency for all Unesco programmes in India and it also implements such activities as fall within its sphere.

1. Contributions to Unesco.-

The net contribution of India to the regular budget of Unesco for the two-year period (1961- 62) was assessed at Rs. 33,58,029. This contribution is normally payable in foreign currency, but as a special case, Unesco agreed to accept an amount of Rs. 27,42,315 in Indian currency.

The General Conference of Unesco, at its eleventh session, launched an appeal for voluntary contributions to Unesco's Emergency Programme of Financial Aid to Africa established for a period of three years (1961-63). In response to this appeal, the Government of India have decided to offer a sum of Rs. 10 lakh, spread over the three-year period, and also five fellowships for training African university personnel in India.

2. Assistance from Unesco.-

Technical assistance amounting to about Rs. 75,60,952 ($ 1,587,800) for the two-year period (1961-62) was approved by Unesco for India under the United Nations Expanded Technical Assistance Programme. This assistance (in the usual form of services of experts, fellowships for training of personnel and equipment) is being directed towards approved projects at several institutions, which include the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, and selected universities and research laboratories.

Under its regular programme, Unesco has agreed to make available to India assistance amounting to Rs. 1,61,905 ($ 34,000) for the two- year period (1961-62). This assistance includes the services of an expert In education for international understanding for the Indian National Commission for Unesco, an expert in science museums and equipment for the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, assistance for the development of the Asian Theatre Institute and for the establishment of a Gallery of Western Art in the National Museum.

3. India's Participation in the Programmes of Unesco.-

In the field of education, the Government of India has agreed to establish a Regional Centre for the Training of Educational Planners, Administrators and Supervisors in Asia in furtherance of the regional programme for primary education in Asia. The Government of India also played host to a Regional Symposium on Over-all Educational Planning in Asia which was organised by Unesco in New Delhi from January 29 to February 23, 1962. The Centre receives substantial assistance from Unesco.

In the field of natural sciences, the Government of India is participating in the International Indian Ocean Expedition sponsored by Unesco. Unesco has made available seven fellowships for the training of Indian scientists in connection with the Expedition and has also offered financial assistance for the development of the Indian Ocean Biological Centre, Cochin, and Physical Oceanography Centre, Waltair. The Government of India is also participating in the Arid Zone, Humid Tropics and other natural sciences programmes of Unesco. A number of fellowships have been awarded by Unesco to enable Indian scientists to participate in the regional seminars, symposia and training courses organised by the South Asia Science Cooperation Office of Unesco in New Delhi.

In the field of social sciences, the Government of India renewed the contract with Unesco for the continued operation of the Research Centre on Social and Economic Development in Southern Asia for another period of four years ending December 1964. Unesco contributes annually a sum of Rs. 4,33,333 ($ 91,000), while the Government of India pay a sum of Rs. 1,66,670 ($ 35,000) every year for the operation of the Centre. Some of the Centre's current projects which are of interest to India relate to studies in the growth of small- scale industries in various parts of India.

In the field of cultural activities, Unesco gave assistance amounting to Rs. 42,857 ($ 9,000) to the Sahitya Akadami for the organisation of the International Literary Seminar in New Delhi in November, 1961 in connection with the Tagore Centenary Celebrations. As part of its programme for the Reading Materials Project in South Asia, Unesco extended financial help for the development of various activities which included (1) the award of prizes to authors of the best books for the new-reading public in different languages; (2) organisation of training courses for booksellers; (3) publication of suitable reading materials; and (4) grant of four fellowships to Indian personnel to participate in a seminar organised by Unesco in Colombo in November-December, 1961, on the development of professional associations related to books and on the need for co-operation among components of the book world. Unesco has also awarded two training fellowships for Indians to study the various aspects of preparation and production of reading materials in other countries.

in the field of mass communication, Unesco extended financial assis- tance amounting to Rs. 23,810 ($ 5,000) to the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education for organising a regional workshop in New Delhi in December, 1961--January, 1962 for training personnel from countries of South and East Asia in the production of low-cost visual aids. The Ministry of Education continued to operate the Unesco Coupon Scheme to promote the free flow of information and sold coupons worth Rs. 2,82,522 during 1961-62.

4. Appointment of Indian Nationals to Posts in the Unesco Secretariat.-

India is entitled to a minimum of seven and a maximum of twelve posts in the Unesco Secretariat in accordance with the system of geographical representation approved by the General Conference of Unesco at its eleventh session. As on February 1, 1962, nine Indian nationals were holding posts in the Unesco Secretariat and India's representation is thus considered to be in balance.

II. ACTIVITIES OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR COOPERATION WITH UNESCO

5. The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with Unesco has been charged with the three-fold task of promoting the understanding of the aims and objects of Unesco among the peoples of India, of serving as a liaison agency between Unesco and the institutions working for the advancement of education, science and culture and of advising the Government on matters relating to Unseco.

6. Reconstitution of the Indian National Commission.-

The constitution of the Commission was revised in 1961 with a view to making it more effective and broad-based. Under the new constitution, the Commission will consist of five sub-commissions to conform to the principal areas of Unesco's programme, namely, education, natural sciences, social sciences, cultural activities and the humanities, and mass communication. Each sub-commission will comprise representatives of governmental authorities and important non-officials working in the relevant areas of work and thus function as an expert body.

The Minister of Education will be the President of the Commission. The Ministry of Education will provide the secretariat and the budget of the Commission as hitherto and there are proposals to strengthen both in the coming year.

The new constitution further envisages greater encouragement to be given to non-governmental organisations to advance the work of Unesco in different fields.

7. Activities of the Commission.-

In order to promote the understanding of the aims and objects of Unesco, the Commission took steps to systematise the country-wide distribution of Unesco publications such as the Unesco Chronicle which are made available to us free of cost. It disseminated information to interested organisations about other publications, not available for free distribution, and made arrangements for getting them reviewed and publicised.

8. The Commission has developed a programme of translation and publication, into Indian languages, of selected Unesco publications which are of importance to our educational development or are meant to popularise the work of Unesco in different fields. Unesco offers financial assistance for this programme. During the year 1961-62, the Hindi edition of Enough Good Food was published and a number of other publications are in various stages of translation/publication. So far, the Commission has entrusted the publication of the translations to commercial firms. It now proposes to undertake the direct publication of selected works. A beginning has been made with the Hindi edition of the Unesco Sourcebook of Science Teaching which will be published by the Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

9. The Commission has undertaken the task of preparing a national programme of work for the execution of the Major Project on Mutual Appreciation of Eastern and Western Cultural Values. The approved programme of Unesco relating to the Major Project for the two-year period (1961-62) has been referred to about 250 authorities in the country including State Governments, universities, research institutions and educational and cultural organisations, and their suggestions on the long-term national plan of work and their proposals for specific activities to be undertaken by them, have been invited.

10. An important development in this field is the establishment in New Delhi of an Associated Institution for the Study and Presentation of South Asian Cultures as part of the international network of research institutions being promoted by Unesco for the study of civilization within a broad regional context. The India International Centre, New Delhi, was selected by the Commission to function as the Associated Institution and this has been approved by Unesco. The Centre has established a research council to formulate the plan of work of the Associated institution and to supervise its execution.

11. The India International Centre, at the request of the Commission and with assistance given by Unesco, successfully organised the celebration of an Orint-Occident Week in six selected university centres in December, 1960. The celebrations comprised presentation of the life and culture of a selected country along with that of India at each centre.

12. The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta, with the cooperation of Unesco and the Commission, organised an East-West Cultural Conference in November, 1961, on the Reactions of the People of the East and West to the Basic Problems of Modern Life. Leading scholars and experts from the Eastern and the Western countries took part in its deliberations, which are expected to make a significant contribution to the objectives of the East-West Major Project.

13. The Commission assisted the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Vrindaban, for organising a symposium in January 1962 on the Eastern and Western Spiritual Values of Life.

14. The implementation of the Major Project in the school sector is carried out through the Associated Schools Projects of Unesco for Education in International Understanding and Cooperation. The Commission, which has direct responsibility for the execution of the project in India, continued to develop and promote the programme of activities in the participating institutions. The Commission continued to assist the participating institutions in obtaining materials required for their projects and arranging exchanges of correspondence and materials with associated schools in other countries. The Commission has also secured fellowships for two teachers of participating institutions under the Unesco Programme for 1961-62 to visit other countries to study the working of the associated schools projects and to acquaint themselves with the life and culture of their peoples.

15. In order to encourage teaching about the United Nations and Specialised Agencies, as part of the education for international understanding, the Commission made a request to the directors of public instruction to draw the attention of the authors of school textbooks to the need for incorporating in their texts, wherever appropriate, an account of the purposes and principles, the structure and activities of the United Nations and the Specialised Agencies.

16. The Commission has developed a project with the U.K. National Commission for the Exchange and Review of History Textbooks prescribed in the schools of the two countries. The project is making satisfactory progress and the Commission is intending to take up similar projects with one or two other countries.

17. With asistance from Unesco, the Commission has also undertaken the preparation of a study kit of audio-visual materials on the life and culture of India for the school children in other countries. It is hoped that the kit would also be of educative value to schools in India.

18. A Gallery of Western Art

is being set up in the National Museum under the East-West Major Project. In addition to financial assistance made available under the Participation Programme, Unesco has also awarded a fellowship for training an officer of the National Museum in connection with the establishment of this project.

19. The Sacred Writings of the Sikhs and the Ayodhya Canto of the Ramayana by

Kamban were published in English during 1961 in the Unesco Collection of Representative Works (Indian Series). This project is operated from a joint fund contributed by the Commission and Unesco.

20. Unesco, has agreed to give financial assistance to the Indian Organising Committee on Training Methods in Voluntary Works Camps for setting up in New Delhi a Youth Information and Documentation Centre. This project is making progress under the supervision of the Commission.

21. Relations with Other National Commissions.-

The Commission's relations with other national commissions are developing rapidly. In this context, a special mention may be made of the exhibition of Indian Graphics organised by the Polish National Commission for Unseco in Poland. This exhibition, which was assembled by the Lalit Kala Akademi, has met with great success and is being circulated to important cities in Poland. The proposal to make available this exhibition for permanent retention by the Polish National Commission in exchange for a similar exhibition on Polish Graphic Arts is under consideration.

22. Plans for 1962-63.-

The Programmes described in the preceding paragraphs are mostly continuing programmes. These will be continued and developed further in 1962-63.

INDIAN NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR COOPERATION WITH UNESCO AND UNESCO PROGRAMMES IN INDIA