Why in News
- The Union Ministry of Culture is signing MoUs with around 20 institutes (and 30 more soon) under the Gyan Bharatam Mission for the conservation, digitisation, and promotion of India’s manuscript heritage.
- Key institutes: Asiatic Society (Kolkata), University of Kashmir (Srinagar), Hindi Sahitya Sammelan (Prayagraj), Government Oriental Manuscript Library (Chennai).
Relevance
- GS-1 (Indian Culture): Preservation of cultural heritage and manuscripts.
- GS-2 (Governance): Institutional collaboration and administrative reforms in heritage management.
- GS-3 (Science & Technology): Application of digital technologies in heritage conservation.
Background
- India is home to one of the largest manuscript heritages globally — over 10 million manuscripts across 80+ languages (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Persian, Arabic, Tamil, etc.).
- Many are inaccessible or deteriorating due to lack of preservation, cataloguing, or digitisation.
- Earlier attempts:
- National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) – launched in 2003 under the Culture Ministry; documented over 5 million manuscripts.
- Gyan Bharatam builds on this framework, introducing digital integration and research promotion.
Launch and Institutional Framework
- Announced: Union Budget 2024–25 as a flagship cultural heritage initiative.
- Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- Mission Objective: Identify, conserve, digitise, preserve, research, and promote India’s manuscript heritage.
Core Objectives
- Identification & Documentation: Comprehensive survey and cataloguing of manuscripts nationwide.
- Digitisation & Preservation: Use of advanced imaging and metadata standards to create a National Digital Repository (NDR).
- Research & Translation: Promote scholarship, translation, and publication of rare texts.
- Capacity Building: Train conservators, cataloguers, and digitisation experts.
- Outreach & Awareness: Public exhibitions, seminars, and digital access to manuscripts globally.
Key Components
| Vertical | Activities | Institutional Role |
| Survey & Cataloguing | Identification, listing, and metadata creation | Institutes & cluster centres |
| Conservation & Capacity Building | Restoration, preservation labs, training programs | Technical institutions |
| Technology & Digitisation | Scanning, metadata tagging, cloud storage | NIC, CDAC support expected |
| Linguistics & Translation | Rendering ancient texts into modern Indian languages | Universities & linguistic institutes |
| Research & Publication | Critical editions, annotated translations | Academia & cultural bodies |
| Outreach | Exhibitions, public lectures, educational content | Partner centres |
Institutional Structure
- Cluster Centres:
- Each manages up to 20 partner centres in its region.
- Responsible for coordination, quality assurance, and data sharing.
- Independent Centres:
- Manage their own manuscript collections independently.
- Gyan Bharatam Cell:
- Dedicated in each centre for project coordination, voluntary service, and liaison with the Ministry.
Financial Framework
- Funding Model: 2-installment structure
- 1st installment (70%) – released upon annual budget approval.
- 2nd installment (30%) – after submission of progress reports, utilisation certificates (UCs), and verified outcomes.
- Budget Allocation: Based on approved work plans, milestones, and quality checks.
- Support Provided: Equipment, digitisation tools, conservation materials, and expert assistance.
Expected Outcomes
- Creation of a National Digital Repository (NDR) to globally showcase India’s manuscript wealth.
- Improved physical and digital preservation of endangered texts.
- Enhanced research access for scholars and students.
- Revival of Indic knowledge systems (Ayurveda, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, polity).
- Integration with Digital India and Viksit Bharat@2047 goals for cultural preservation.
Data & Impact Potential
- Estimated corpus: 10 million+ manuscripts (per NMM records).
- Languages covered: 80+ (including Sanskrit, Pali, Persian, Tamil, Arabic, Bengali, etc.).
- Institutes onboard (Phase-1): 20 (Phase-2: additional 30).
- Digital Access Goal: 100% online accessibility via NDR by 2030.
Challenges
- Condition deterioration: Nearly 40% manuscripts in fragile state (as per NMM estimates).
- Lack of skilled conservators and standardised metadata.
- Dispersed ownership (temples, mutts, private collections).
- Digital divide in smaller regional centres.
Significance
- Cultural Diplomacy: Showcases India’s civilizational knowledge to the world.
- Knowledge Economy: Opens pathways for research in ancient science, arts, and philosophy.
- Heritage Conservation: Aligns with UNESCO conventions on safeguarding intangible heritage.
- National Identity: Reinforces Bharat’s legacy as a global Vishwaguru in knowledge.
