Punjab government approves a special grant for Lahore Arts Council

Lahore : Punjab government has approved a special grant worth Rs.433 million for Lahore Arts Council. This grant would be utilized for various activities of repair and maintenance of the building besides up-gradation and strengthening of Al-hamrah academy of performing arts to boost its beneficial role in promotion of the culture.

In this regard, a meeting was held at Al-hamrah Cultural Complex today with Minister for Mian Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman in the chair. Chairman Board of Governors of Lahore Arts Council Kamran Leshari, Additional Secretary (Information) Shahid Iqbal, Executive Director Capt. (Retd.) Atta Muhammad and other officials attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed different proposals of promoting cultural activities through the platform of Al-hamrah Cultural Complex and observed that the Punjab has diverse cultural dimensions of historical importance which are source of attraction for local and international audience.

The meeting was told that Rs.214.2 million will be spent on replacement of AC system of three halls and art gallery. Rs.20 million will be used for lights and sound system, while renovation and improvement of Al-hamrah academy of performing art will be done in Rs.20 million. It has also been planned to improve the drainage system with an amount of Rs.8.7 million.

While addressing the meeting, Mujtaba Shuja ur Rehman said that performing art academy is the best platform to involve the youth in healthy cultural related activities and added that this would educate them about the rich cultural heritage of the Punjab. Terming Lahore as the cultural capital of South Asia, he said that Pakistan should pro-actively project its culture and heritage at the global level to inform the world community about Pakistani norms about peaceful co-existence, tolerance, peace and harmony. He further said that Punjab government has been promoting art and culture to help project the soft image of the country.

The meeting thanked the Punjab government for providing additional grant for Lahore Arts Council.