Folk artistes mired in Covid make both ends meet with Lok Prasar Prakalpa

KOLKATA: With the introduction of Lok Prasar Prakalpa scheme in Bengal to uplift the socio-economic condition of the folk artistes, around 84,720 performers have benefitted from it.

Senior officials of the state government are optimistic that after the second Duare Sarkar camps to be organised on August 16, more applicants will apply for the scheme.

A senior official of the state government said: "We are getting feedback from various District Magistrates (DMs) that many folk artistes who are yet to apply for the scheme have shown interest to go ahead and we have asked the DMs to verify all applications and submit them to the officials who will organise camps in each district under the Duare Sarkar scheme on August 16."

According to the folk artistes, after the pandemic, many of them are unable to perform due to the ongoing Covid restrictions and so granting them retainer fees have helped the folk artistes a lot.

Samar Das, a Baul, and a resident of Santiniketan, said: "The scheme has greatly helped the folk artistes during this pandemic. Not only the distressed and the veteran artistes received a monthly pension, but the retainer fee of the artistes has helped folk artistes in these trying times."

Under the Lok Prasar Prakalpa, not only the folk artiste receives an identity card and retainership fees, but the state government inducts them in various government programmes so that they can make both ends meet.