10.1. FUNDING

NTM would be supported by the Government of India as a key institution in translation activity in India. NTM will be a central scheme. However, it is hoped that NTM will start generating some income of its own from the 12th Plan period onwards as it will develop translation tools like dictionaries, thesauri, translation software and actual translations of texts in diverse fields which it can market through agencies. The books will however have to be so priced as to make them affordable to all sections of our people. The publishing houses to be involved in co-publication and subsidy publications are yet to be decided by the NTM-PAC.

It has also been decided to make all its web-based contents and tools open to all and free of cost. The translation training programmes and accreditation may have some prescribed fee but that is yet to be decided. 

10.2. BUDGET

Although the original recommendation of the NKC as well as the MHRD was Rs.250 crore, it was felt that in the initial stage, the total budget could be limited to within Rs. 100 crore. The EFC draft was accordingly revised in March 2008, and a proposal for Rs. 98.97 crore was prepared. However, it was decided at the NTM-EFC that the amounts shown against the CSTT (Rs. 20 crore) and NCERT (Rs.5 Crore) be removed (See NTM-EFC Minutes, Item 11(iv & v), page 6; the observation of PAMD, reported under Para 4, Page 2; and also, Para 10 stating the consensus view on this item).

Finally, the NTM budget was approved as Rs. 73.97 crore during the EFC meeting (see the NTM EFC-Minutes No. F.25-4/2008-IFD, dated May 22, 2008, (See NTM Minutes, Item 11.(i), page 6).

The Budget as approved could be elaborated here with year-wise distribution:

Table 1: Approved overall budget for NTM with year-wise break up

The total tasks (as referred to under Item 2 in the above table) were also detailed in the following manner (after removing the CSTT and the NCERT components):

COST OF EVENTS/TASKS (In Lakhs)

Table 2: Approved Budget for Tasks, Consultancies, Outsourcing &  GIA  for NTM

It was also stated in the EFC Minutes that Anukriti and other projects on translation being done in CIIL should now on be under the NTM, and that there should be no duplication of work.

As for the GIA element of NTM was concerned, one would have to add the items under ‘b’ through ‘g’ (except for ‘e’, where tasks and GIA amounts are separated), and the figure for extending grants to the universities, organizations, translation outfits, individuals and researchers would be Rs. 1535.20 lakhs. It is obvious that proposals would have to be invited from all corners of the country to offer these grants in respect of b, d, e and f, although c will depend on the identification of texts, and g on a decision that may be taken in respect of quantum of grants to the relevant university departments offering translation studies courses. However, the GIA activity under NTM would, however, begin after the initial decisions are made by the NTM-Project Advisory Committee.

The total NTM project was finally approved by the Hon’ble HRD Minister on 18th June 2008. It may be mentioned that the Ministry had already allocated Rs. 90 lakhs as a token grant for NTM during 2007-08 (See Budget on Grants, Page 20) and created all budgetary heads and sub-heads for this purpose then. But since the EFC was delayed that amount was not spent. During the year 2008-09 again, a token of Rs. 100 lakhs was included for NTM in the BG, with the following details:

Table 3: Approved Token BG for NTM  2008-09

The Institute has asked the PAO to release the first two quarter installments of the token budget (i.e. only Rs. 41.75 lakhs) already identified by the Ministry (vide its letter no. F.1-1/2008-09/Accts/BUDGET/(NTM)). Separate steps are also being taken to create a separate NTM-GIA account as per the procedures laid down by the CCA. Although it would mean that the remaining budget amount in respect of NTM as per the EFC for the year 2008-09 would be Rs. 1419.712 lakhs (as estimated in April-May 2008), and since a lot of time has already lapsed in setting up the procedures and initiating the tasks, it is important to revise the first year’s budget to bring it down to a reasonable extent. The following table would show the reduced amounts – year-wise in respect of the NTM. This table is created out of the earlier tables 1 and 2, and by separating tasks that could be done by out-sourcing and through consultants

NTM Budget   (In Lakhs)

Note: * Translation fee for 300 books      + Translation fee for 440 books plus 58.31 for a backlog payment for earlier year’s 140 assignments   #  Fee for Fee for 580 books & 0.90 for web-based content translation

Table 4: Approved overall budget for NTM with year-wise break up

It may be noted that much less amount is being asked for under 2008-09 as the project is in the formative stage now: Rs. 1166.88 lakhs as against Rs. 1519.712 lakhs, which is the sanctioned amount (as per the NTM Minutes & DPR) as given in Table 1. The figures in other years have remained the same, except that the savings from 2008-09 have been passed on to 2010-11. Assuming that in the first year, 440 book translation assignments (of each book being 250 page long on average) are offered, and the submission rate is 68% to 70%, not more than 300 texts would be submitted as work completed by the translators. Under the ‘Katha Bharathi’ scheme as approved during the 10th Plan, the translation rate was Rs.300 per 1000 words (=close to three printed pages). If the NTM PAC agrees to pay Rs. 500 for 1000 words – these being highly technical translation, we would have to pay about Rs. 41,665 to each translator. As the total budgetary provision for 1960 books for all works, namely adaptation & translation, evaluation, copy-editing, was kept at Rs. 4520.00 lakhs (See Table 2) which also included amounts for printing and publishing subsidies/costs, we could now calculate the requirements for 2008-09. Assuming that in 2008-08, we could only assign 440 titles, and only 300 books (into 250 pages on average) are completed and evaluated/copy-edited, we would ask for only Rs.520.00 lakhs out of Rs. 4520.00 lakhs under this head (a part of which would be shown as consultancy, and a part under the OC head):

Justification for additionalities (Out of Table 2, item a): Rs. 520.00 lakhs

As for Rs.220 lakhs on equipments, the first year’s for only Rs.125.00 lakhs – especially to set up the office in Delhi which will require both machines and basic furnishing. We are asking additional amounts under the TE (Rs. 15.00 lakhs as against Rs.5.00 lakhs), also because this being the first year, there would be many meetings. The head under ‘General Maintenance’ remains the same as in table 1: OAC 14.20 lakhs.

Finally, coming to the NTM-GIA amount of Rs.1535.20 (See Table 2) for all four years, the share of 2008-09 would have been Rs.383.80 lakhs. However, considering that the time remaining is only seven months, the amount asked for under additionalities is Rs. 191.20 lakhs only.

10.3. INITIAL STEPS

To set up the basic structure of the project and to undertake the operationalization of the ideas behind the scheme, it was decided to take a series of steps such as follows:

(1) Some basic information on the NTM is put up in the existing main web-site of the institute, since there is a lot of interest among the common public who would like to participate in the mission’s activity;
(2) The decision to merge all projects on translation and dictionaries etc be implemented under the NTM  (See NTM Minutes, Item 11.(vi), page 6; also Para 8 under FA’s observations), and the personnel already engaged for these earlier projects such as Anukriti are temporarily engaged as consultants now;
(3) A draft ‘domain’/web-site for NTM has been registered, and ‘working groups’ have been created (See NTM Minutes, Item 11(vii), page 6) so as to convert the draft web-site with all details in 22 languages;
(4) All the above are being done by outsourcing this work to the Consultants  (See NTM Minutes, Item 11(viii), page 6 as well as Secretary-HE’s observations in Para 7 “to create an inbuilt system for outsourcing most of its work”). Once this ground-work is done, the whole work could be placed before the PAC for approval and eventually for launching it with their approval, or with the approval of the Ministry;
(5) The basic print-dictionaries in at least six major languages are to be completed as soon as possible jointly with Longman group (in a PPP mode) as the work had been continuing as the first set of translation tools or products under the NTM (as reported in Minutes, Para 2, Page 1) and work for converting them into e-dictionaries be taken up with the same consultants;
(6) The syllabi of selected major universities, UGC and UPSC are being gathered to create a database of texts and reference books out of which the PAC may like to choose texts for translation;
(7) The original DPR has been expanded so as to populate the web-pages of the NTM web-site under preparation;
(8) A draft National Register for Translation has been created through ASP scripting and with MySQL running as the background database;
(9) Immediate steps are to be taken to create awareness advertisements/promotional material for media insertions in all 22 languages;
(10) Steps are also being taken to link up the ‘anukriti’ web-site (so far run by CIIL, Sahitya Akademi and NBT; see www.anukriti.net ) to this new NTM web-site (as observed in the NTM Minutes, Para 2, page 2 which stated: “The earlier web-based translation activities under ‘Anukriti’ project approved by the Planning Commission would be subsumed under the NTM activity”), and decide on segregating and upgrading its contents;
(11) As far as possible, open source software and user-freindly background are being used to create NTM site as a public domain, easily accessible in any Indian language (as advised by the Planning Commission, see NTM Minutes, Para 3, page 2); and
(12) The Institute has begun to negotiate to know the terms and conditions that major international publishing houses may offer to the NTM so that this could be further deliberated and decided at the level of PAC.