The Government is dedicated to expanding digitization and enhancing public access to uphold and celebrate India’s rich textual traditions. The Government has outlined key objectives and initiatives under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) to preserve, document, and disseminate India’s rich manuscript heritage. The Mission has been restructured with the nomenclature ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ as a Central Sector Scheme for the period 2024-31 with a total allocation of ₹482.85 crores. The key objectives of the Mission include:

1. Survey and Documentation: Conducting a nationwide survey and registration of manuscripts to maintain a comprehensive record of India’s manuscript wealth.
2. Conservation and Preservation: Scientific conservation and preventive preservation of manuscripts across repositories in India.
3. Digitization: Large-scale digitization of manuscripts to create a National Digital Manuscripts Library for wider accessibility.
4. Publication and Research: Editing, translating, and publishing rare and unpublished manuscripts to promote scholarly research.
5. Capacity Building: Organizing training programs in manuscriptology, paleography, and conservation to build expertise.
6. Outreach and Awareness: Conducting exhibitions, seminars, and cultural programs to increase public awareness of manuscript heritage.

Collaboration with Institutions: Engaging with academic institutions in India and industry leaders for manuscript research and preservation efforts.

The National Mission for Manuscripts has played a pivotal role in preserving, documenting, and disseminating India’s manuscript heritage, including in Uttar Pradesh.

1. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi, has been a key partner in manuscript research, documentation, and conservation.
2. Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs) and Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs) have been set up in reputed institutions in the state.
3. As of now, over 5.2 million manuscripts have been documented across India, including a substantial number from Uttar Pradesh.
4. The Mission has conducted numerous capacity-building programs and workshops in Uttar Pradesh to train scholars and archivists in manuscript conservation and transcription. Special projects have been undertaken to preserve and promote rare Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic manuscripts from various libraries in the state.

The Government through the National Mission for Manuscripts (now called as ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’) is committed to safeguarding India's invaluable manuscript heritage while ensuring its wider accessibility and academic integration. Through the National Mission for Manuscripts, significant efforts have been made to digitize manuscripts and make them accessible to the public through online platforms, which includes the following:

1. So far, approximately 3.5 lakh manuscripts, covering over 3.5 crore folios, have been digitized.
2. Over 1,35,000 manuscripts have been uploaded on the web portal namami.gov.in, with 76,000 manuscripts available for free public access.
3. The mission aims to digitize folios in the next five years. The focus is on rare and fragile manuscripts to ensure their long-term preservation.

The Government aims to ensure that India’s manuscript heritage is not only preserved but also actively utilized for academic, cultural, and historical research. Through the ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’, the Government has formulated an expansion plan to enhance public access to India's manuscript heritage. The key measures, inter alia, include:

1. Working with academic institutions, private collectors, and research organizations to expand the digitization and dissemination of manuscripts.
2. Collaborations with universities to promote research and study of manuscripts.
3. Organizing regular exhibitions, workshops, and manuscript festivals to engage scholars and the public. Creating a pool of new generation of manuscriptologists.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Sunil Kumar Tiwari

pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

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