Lokprasar Prakalpo - West Bengal

Introduction

Lok Prasar Prakalpa (LPP) is a flagship programme implemented by the govt of West Bengal in India to market folk forms within the state and improve the socio-economic conditions of folk artists. Its uniqueness lies within the innovative design of strengthening and involving a critical mass of folks’ artists enrolled during this programme to offer key messages on development issues and promote behaviour change at the community level through Entertainment-Education (EE). These folk artists play an important role in reaching bent different communities with customised, language-dialect sensitive and context-specific social and behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages, including people in underserved areas and also people with low literacy levels. Within three years of implementation, the programme has yielded amazing results. Certain programme features like monthly fees for enlisted folk artists, regular and quality-based enrolment, frequent capacity building, and appropriate socio-economic support have largely created an impact to the deprive artists who struggles daily reviving the local art of the state. UNICEF has also collaborated extensively by extending technical support to the programme in certain areas. A serious advantage of this model is that it's sustainable and simply replicable in other geographic areas with certain minimal necessary adaptations.

One of the best strengths of this programme is that the continuous development and strengthening of a critical mass of folk’s artists who can provide language/dialect-specific customised messages through local folk forms. Numbers of enrolled folk artists have increased from 65,000 to 194,300 within a span of two and a half years. within the fiscal year, 2017-18 these registered folk-artists are involved in additional than three lakh (300,000) performances to convey key SBCC messages using quite 79 folk forms. The programme also encourages convergence and integrated planning of communication interventions at the sector level, where relevant departments close to plan and provides away messages. for instance, messages on maternal and on infancy nutrition, care and immunisation are planned and given through an equivalent performance, though the problems involve interventions by multiple departments.

The folk artistes propagate different unique schemes like Kanyashree, Jubashree, Sikshashree etc through their performances. Health and sanitation messages and messages to create up awareness against evils of dowry, child marriage and trafficking etc. also are being effectively transmitted through these LPP messengers. This project has not only provided economic stability to the folks’ artistes of Bengal, it's also revived the normal folk-art forms.

Overview of Lokprasar Prakalpya

Interestingly, Lok Prasar Prakalpa was primarily launched not as a communication programme, but rather as an initiative to market the rich folk heritage and supply livelihood support to the folks artists, in order that they continue practising their traditional folk forms. This scheme was initiated in 2015 as a flagship programme by the govt of West Bengal under the Department of data & Cultural Affairs (I&CA) to market and revive diverse folk sorts of West Bengal and improve socio-economic conditions of folks’ artists. Each folk artist enrolled within the scheme gets retainership fees and also regular income from public performances. because the enlisted folk artists started performing within the community for entertainment purposes, the chance of engaging them for reaching bent communities with key behaviour change messages through Entertainment-Education was immediately spotted. As a programme policy, the govt began to engage the enrolled folk artists publicly campaign programmes on key development issues.

The state of West Bengal in India features a rich cultural heritage that comes alive in multiple folk-art forms within the realm of music, dance, theatre, puppetry and therefore the visual arts. For ages, these tribal and rural art forms have played a crucial role in transmitting community wisdom through oral traditions, handing down social and cultural norms through generations and shaping the collective identity of individuals. However, the breakdown of traditional social structures, growing urbanisation, explosion of latest media, and lack of sufficient patronage have resulted within the erosion of livelihoods for performing folk artists.

Scheme Benefits

1. Bengali music industry will get a lift from this scheme.
2. Artists who have retired will get Rs.1000 pension under the scheme.
3. Money are going to be sent through DBT into their bank accounts.
4. Artist will get Rs.1000 help per month from government
5. it'll help in increasing the main target on ethnic music in West Bengal.
6. Rs.10000 extra are going to be given to performers as their performance fees.

Eligibility Criteria and Documents Required

The scheme provides a Retainer fee of Rs. 1000/- per month to the fork artists between the age of 16-40 and also provides a pension of Rs. 1000/- per month to every senior artists who are above the age of 60 years. The scheme also provides Rs- 1000/- for each program to every artist of the states.

1. The applicants must be the resident of West Bengal.
2. Their age must be between 18 to 60 years.
3. you want to have proof of being artists within the state.
4. you want to have a registered checking account.

Apply Online in Lok Prasar Prakalpo Scheme

1. Visit https://wblpp.in/.
2. Open the contact page.
3. Locate the name of your district in Bengal.
4. Contact district Information & Cultural Affairs Department for Lok Prasar Prakalpo Scheme application.
5. Submit your documents and apply for the advantage of Rs.1000.

Conclusion

Every developing country features a rich heritage of folks’ art and in many cases; the artists face similar challenges to continue with their folk forms as sources of their livelihood. This challenge is often becoming a chance by involving them to physically reach bent the targeted communities regardless of age, gender and levels of education; especially in media dark areas. The structure of the scheme is sort of simple, and therefore the investments aren't context-specific. With certain minimal necessary adaptations, this model is often easily replicated in other states and countries to make successful and localised channels of demand generation and behaviour change within the community.

While there's a substantial budgetary investment from the govt department, the structure also allows sharing the value with other relevant line departments. for instance, when the folk-artists are involved in giving messages on diarrhoea management or during a campaign to market institutional delivery, the performance fees and transport are provided by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, while the I&CA Department pays for the regular retainership fees of the artists. this provides a forum for resource sharing and convergent planning between the various departments.