Lok Sabha Question No. 2126 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-02
Subject: Digitisation and Linking of Archaeological  Museums
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Bheemrao Baswanthrao Patil, P.P. Chaudhary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2126 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.12.2019

## Digitisation and Linking of Archaeological Museums

2126. SHRI B.B. PATIL: SHRI P.P. CHAUDHARY:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  any  scheme  has  been  prepared  regarding  digitisation  and  linking  of  Archaeological museums through a single portal and if so, the details thereof and if not, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to update the records of the museums in digital format;
- (b) the number of museums that have been sanctioned for Digitisation and Development works and the status thereof, State-wise;
- (c) the amount of funds released for the same, year-wise and State-wise, including Rajasthan; and
- (d) whether the Government intends to sanction any more museums and other cultural institutions for digitisation and development works and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE AND TOURISM (Prahlad Singh Patel)

- (a) Ministry of Culture operates Museum Grant Scheme, under which financial assistance is provided for
- to digitization  of  art  objects  in  the  museums  across  the  country  for  making  their  images/  catalogues

(c)

available  over  the  website  http://museumsofindia.gov.in.  For  this,  proposal  is  required  to  be submitted  to  the  Ministry  in

the  prescribed  proforma  along  with  all  relevant  documents  for consideration  by  the  Expert  Committee  constituted  for  this  purpose.  Details  of  State/  UT-wise

financial assistance provided till date for digitization of museum collection is at Annexure - I.

Besides, Ministry of Culture entered into an MOU with C-DAC, Pune for developing software named as JATAN: Virtual Museum software for creating an online digital repository of museum collections and  developing  a  national  portal  http://museumsofindia.gov.in,  for  all  the  museums  under  the administrative control of Ministry of Culture.

In the first phase of the project, the Jatan software developed by C-DAC has been implemented in the  10  museums  under  Ministry  of  Culture  viz.  (i)  National  Museum,  New  Delhi  (ii)  Allahabad Museum, Allahabad, UP (iii) Indian Museum, Kolkata, West Bengal (iv) National Gallery of Modern Arts, New Delhi (v)) National Gallery of Modern Arts, Mumbai, Maharashtra(vi) National Gallery of Modern  Arts,  Bengaluru,  Karnataka  (vii)  Archaeological  Survey  of  India  Museum,  Goa  (viii) Archaeological Survey of India Museum, Nagarjunakonda, A.P. (ix) Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad, Telangana (x) Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata, West Bengal.

Digitization and updating on the portal is a continuous process. Till now 2,43,628 art objects have been digitized through Jatan software.

- (d) It  is  a  continuous  process.  If  a  proposal  received  under  the  scheme  for  financial  assistance  for digitization, the same will be considered as per the guidelines on the Museum Grant Scheme.

Annexure - I

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2126 FOR 02.12.2019

The State-wise list of disbursal of Funds for Digitization of Museum Collections' under the Museum Grant Scheme, State-wise.

| Sl. No.   | State       | Name of                                                                   | (Rs. in lakhs)   | (Rs. in lakhs)   | (Rs. in lakhs)   | (Rs. in lakhs)   | (Rs. in lakhs)   |
|-----------|-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
|           |             | Organization                                                              | FY: 2014- 15     | FY: 2015- 16     | FY: 2016- 17     | FY: 2017- 18     | FY: 2018- 19     |
| 1.        | Rajasthan   | Government of Rajasthan for 16 District museum, Rajasthan                 | 28.00            | -                | -                | -                | -                |
| 2.        | Haryana     | Centre for Art & Archaeology, 22, Sector-32, Institutional Area, Gurgaon, | -                | -                | 12.50            | -                | 12.50            |
| 3.        | Maharashtra | Symbiosis Society' Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum & Memorial Pune          | -                | 4.5944           | -                | 4.5944           | -                |