Important for UPSC Prelims: Art & Culture
About Gyan Bharatam Mission
- Launched: Announced in the Union Budget 2025–26.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Culture (MoC).
- Type: Central Sector Scheme.
- Financial Outlay: ₹491.66 crore (2025–2031).
- Coverage: Pan-India across all States and Union Territories.
- Background: Builds upon the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), launched in 2003.
Objectives of Gyan Bharatam Mission
- Leverage advanced technology for large-scale digitisation and documentation of manuscripts.
- Conduct a National Manuscript Survey and register manuscript collections.
- Document and catalogue manuscripts and maintain updated records of their conservation status.
- Promote access to manuscripts through printed publications and machine-readable digital formats.
- Support conservation and preservation through training, awareness and financial assistance.
- Promote research in Indian languages and manuscriptology.
- Establish a National Digital Repository (NDR) of Indian manuscripts.
National Digital Repository (NDR)
- The National Digital Repository (NDR) is the digital platform established under the Mission to preserve and provide access to Indian manuscripts.
- Access to digitised manuscripts is provided in accordance with the rights of custodians and rights holders.
National Manuscript Survey
- Launched: March 2026
- Covers all States and UTs.
- Identifies manuscript holdings, repositories, custodians, languages and scripts.
Progress
- 1.19 crore+ manuscripts reported.
- 8 lakh+ manuscripts digitised.
- 4.40 lakh+ manuscripts available for public viewing on the Gyan Bharatam Portal.
Conclusion
The Gyan Bharatam Mission marks a significant step towards preserving and digitally safeguarding India’s vast manuscript heritage while promoting wider access for education, research and cultural preservation.
| This concept has been discussed in the following article Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM): Preserving India’s Manuscript Heritage |