Government Signs Agreements to Digitize 10 Million Manuscripts Under Gyan Bharatam

The Central Government signed an agreement with 17 institutions for the digitization of manuscripts under Gyan Bharatam. Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said work will be undertaken to digitize and conserve more than 10 million manuscripts within a period of five years. Although there is a time frame to preserve this rich cultural and historical heritage of the nation, quality cannot be sacrificed.

A national digital archive will be created in addition to manuscript preservation. Digitization and preservation of manuscripts are on schedule, but not at the cost of quality. In the initial phase, 17 institutions, including 12 states and five institutions, signed an agreement with the Union Ministry of Culture at an event held at the National Museum of Modern Art in Delhi.

In the next phase, other states and institutions will be included. These include the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan Prayagraj, Nagari Pracharini Sabha Varanasi, Abhay Jain Granthalaya Bikaner, Sanatan Trust Tirupati, Anand Ashram Trust Pune, Himachal State Museum Shimla, Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Leh, Nakshatra Vaidyashaala Devprayag, Vrindavan Research Institute Vrindavan, Nava Nalanda Mahavir Nalanda, Dr. S.S. Gaud University Sagar, Assam University Silchar, and the Aesthetic Society Kolkata.