Bharat Ratna :
"Jewel of India" is the highest civilian award bestowed by the country. It is awarded annually to exceptional individuals who have performed in the highest order.
The first award was given in 1954 (C. rajgopalchari) and initially went to those artists who had outstanding achievements in the field of art, science, literature and public service. In 2011, the criteria was expanded to include any field of human endeavour.
PM gives the choices to the President who may choose not more than three people every year for the award. Though it carries no cash prize but it has a peepal shaped leaf medal and a sanad.
Padma awards :
These awards were introduced in 1954 and are given to those individuals for exceptional service in the fields of sports, arts, social work, civil service, literature, education , public affairs, science and technology, trade and industry etc.
These awards have a hierarchy and one who receives an award will be eligible for higher awards only after a period of 5 or more years.
These awards are of three categories : Padma vibhushan (For exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (For distinguished service of a higher order) and Padma shri (For distinguished service).
Padma vibhushan : Second highest civilian award. The award has a citation certificate and a medal with a lotus flower in the middle with the words Desh seva.
Padma bhushan : It is for those who have contributed to Indias reputation in the global scenario.
Padma shri : Given to people who have made a distinguished contribution to the fields of arts, literature, sports etc. The awardee is not given cash but a medallion with a three leaved flower on one side and a obverse padma on other side.
Dadasaheb Phalke lifetime achievement award : To those who have spent their entire career trying to contribute to Indian cinema.
Sahitya academi award : It is given by the Sahitya Akademi anually to those who have achieved literary merit and created new trends by publishing their works, prose or poetry in any of the 24 languages recognised by the Akademi. The 22 languages in the Eight schedule alongwith English and Rajasthani are the recognised languages.
Sahitya academi fellowship : The highest honor offered by the sahitya akademi. It is given to those who are outstanding contributors to literary arts.
Bhasha Samman : It is for literary artists for works in languages not covered by the 24 languages recognised by the Akademi.
Jananpith award : An award offered to Indian citizens who have contributed to the literature in any one of the 22 languages recognised by the Eight Schedule of the constitution.
Saraswati samman : Annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary work in any of the 22 languages listed in the constitution. It was instituted by the K.K.Birla foundation
Vyas samman : Award constituted by the K.K.birla foundation and is given to literary artists who have composed work in Hindi language and must have published it in the last 10 years.
Translation award : Award given by the Sahitya Akademi to those who have attempted translation from other languages to any of the 24 major languages. Special importance is given to those who translate ancient and medieval indian literature.
Archaeological Survey of India :
Organization is under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture and is the foremost institution for archaelogical researches conducted across the country.
It has been charged with the preservation of cultural heritage of India that is accumulated in the ancient monuments and archaelogical sites.
Besides it regulate all archaeological activities in the country as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
For the maintenance of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance the entire country is divided into 24 Circles. The organization has a large work force of trained archaeologists, conservators, epigraphist and scientists for conducting archaeological research projects through its Circles, Museums, Excavation Branches, Prehistory Branch, Epigraphy Branches, Science Branch, Horticulture Branch, Building Survey Project, Temple Survey Projects and Underwater Archaeology Wing.
It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972 under which it is mandated to prevent illegal smuggling of precious art from India.
Crafts council of India (Not for profit Society head-quartered in Chennai, Tamilnadu) :
The Crafts Council of India (CCI) was founded in 1964 by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay as one of her pioneering efforts toward protecting and enhancing India’s heritage in the nation’s transition to modernity.
Inspired by the commitment of Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore to hand production as a catalyst for political and social emancipation, as well as her experience with national efforts at craft regeneration since Independence, Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay felt the need for mobilizing public awareness and action.
For this, she brought together a band of volunteers in CCI to help build a lasting awareness of the knowledge and skills of India’s artisans, and to help address their needs within a rapidly changing environment. It is with the purpose of protecting this identity, that the CCI was established
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi (IGNCA)
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi (IGNCA) is a premier government-funded arts organization in India. It is an autonomous institution under the Union Ministry of Culture. It was established in the memory of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, with Kapila Vatsyayan as its founding director.
The IGNCA was launched on 19 November 1985 by Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi at a function where the symbolism of the components was clearly articulated at different levels. The elements - fire, water, earth, sky and vegetation - were brought together. Five rocks from five major rivers - Sindhu (Indus), Ganga, Kaveri, Mahanadi and the Narmada (where the most ancient ammonite fossils are found) were composed into sculptural forms. These remain at the site as reminders of the antiquity of Indian culture and the sacredness of her rivers and rocks
It focuses on research, conservation, display and dessimination of arts.
Southern Regional Centre, established in 2001, in Bangalore, aimed at intensifying the centre's studies on the southern region's art and cultural heritage. Varanasi Regional Centre, established in 1998, mainly engaged in publication of Kalatattvakosa series, a lexicon of fundamental concepts of the Indian arts
All India Radio :
The Prasar Bharati Board functions at the apex level ensuring formulation and implementation of the policies of the organization and fulfillment of the mandate in terms of the Prasar Bharati Act, 1990. The Executive Member functions as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Corporation. Officers from different streams working in the Prasar Bharati Secretariat assist the CEO, Member (Finance) and Member (Personnel) in integrating actions, operations, plans and policy implementation as well as look after the budget, accounts and general financial matters of the Corporation.
Director General, All India Radio is responsible for the overall administration of the entire Akashvani network consisting of 277 stations and 432 broadcast transmitters (148 are MW (Medium Wave), 236 FM (Frequency Modulation) and 48 SW (Short Wave) transmitters as on 31.03.2012), which provide coverage to 99% of the population spread over the country.
As India’s National Broadcaster and also the premier Public Service Broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR) has been serving to inform, educate and entertain the masses since it's inception, truly living up to its motto – ‘Bahujan Hitaya : Bahujan Sukhaya’.
It is one of the largest broadcasting organisations in the world in terms of the number of languages of broadcast, the spectrum of socio-economic and cultural diversity it serves.
National Archives of India
The National Archives of India is the custodian of the records of enduring value of the Government of India. Established on 11 March, 1891 at Calcutta (Kolkata) as the Imperial Record Department, it is the biggest archival repository in South Asia. It has a vast corpus of records viz., public records, private papers, oriental records, cartographic records and microfilms, which constitute an invaluable source of information for scholars-administrators and users of archives
The Director General of Archives, heading the Department has been given the mandate for the implementation of the Public Records Act, 1993 and the rules made there under, the Public Records Rules, 1997 for the management, administration and preservation of public records in the Ministries,Departments,Public Sector undertakings etc.of the Central Government. Located at the heart of New Delhi. The Department functions as an Attached Office of the Ministry of Culture