AnyTime News 
Honorarium Automatically Hiked To ₹70,000 Post-Award; Culture Minister Outlines Mega Financial Outlay
By Pooja Shrivastava, Any Time News Network, Lucknow (June 3, 2026):
In a monumental move to elevate the financial and social status of visual and performing artists, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced a sweeping upgrade to its cultural rewards framework. Presiding over a packed press conference at Tourism Bhawan today, UP Tourism and Culture Minister Jaiveer Singh announced that on June 5, 2026, state Governor Smt. Anandiben Patel will confer the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards upon 51 legendary artists at the Gandhi Auditorium in Raj Bhavan. In a stellar incentive, Minister Singh declared that post-award, these artists will be drafted into a ‘Special Elite Category,’ raising their standard performance honorarium automatically to ₹70,000 per event.
The Minister noted that UP’s cultural repository is unmatched globally. The state’s highest cultural awards hold massive national prestige, with past recipients eventually securing India’s top civilian honors like the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.
Recipients List From 2021 to 2024 Unveiled; Safdar Hashmi & B.M. Shah Awards Announced
The multi-year pending list of icons across classical vocals, folk theater, and instrumentals was officially made public today:
Batch of 2021: Pt. Dinanath Mishra (Kolkata-Classical Vocal), Shrikant Vaishya (Prayagraj-Folk), and Jawahar Lal (Varanasi-Shehnai) win the Akademi award. Manoj Kumar Mishra (Rewa) gets the Safdar Hashmi Award, and Satish Anand (Delhi) lands the B.M. Shah Award.
Batch of 2022: Anand Kumar Malik (Mathura-Classical), Ms. Madhuri Sharma (Mathura-Folk Vocal), and Pt. Anuj Mishra (Lucknow-Kathak) lead the ledger. Rajesh Street (New Delhi) gets Safdar Hashmi and Kamal Jain (Bhopal) wins B.M. Shah Award.
Batch of 2023: Dr. Ramshankar (Varanasi), Manoj Kumar Gupta (Prayagraj), and Dr. Akanksha Srivastava (Lucknow) will be decorated. Ajay Kumar (Ghaziabad) gets Safdar Hashmi and Ravishankar Khare (Gorakhpur) bags B.M. Shah Award.
Batch of 2024: Ritesh Rajnish Mishra (New Delhi-Classical), Ms. Mukta Chatterjee (Lucknow-Light Music), and Ramrath Pandey (Raebareli-Alha folk) get top billings. Shubdeeh Raha (Lucknow) bags Safdar Hashmi, while Sanjay Mehta (Bhopal) wins B.M. Shah Award.
₹14 Crore Disbursed Digitally; ‘Guru-Shishya’ Bootcamps Active Across 75 Districts
Tracing the historical legacy of the Sangeet Natak Akademi since its inception on November 13, 1963, Minister Singh presented a stellar report card of governance.
Direct Benefit Transfer: The department has digitized its operations, registering over 17,000 verified artists on its official portal. In the fiscal window of 2025-26 alone, ₹14 crore (₹6.5 crore via portal and ₹7.5 crore via treasury codes) has been securely deposited directly into the bank accounts of artists.
Under the direct vision of Chief Minister Yogi आदित्यनाथ, the state is currently running intensive summer camps across all 75 districts under the legendary ‘Guru-Shishya Parampara.’ Winners of regional music competitions are being aggressively launched under the ‘Navankur Yojana’ to carry forward fading art forms. The high-powered announcement was made in the presence of Sangeet Natak Akademi President Prof. Jayant Khot, Vice-President Vibha Singh, and Director Shobhit Kumar Nahar.
