Lok Sabha Question No. 2333 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-18
Subject: Manuscript Resource Centres and Manuscript Conservation Centres
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Manoj Kishorbhai Kotak, Raksha Nikhil Khadse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NUMBER 2333

TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.12.2023

## MANUSCRIPT RESOURCE CENTRES AND MANUSCRIPT CONSERVATION CENTRES

## 2333. SHRI MANOJ KOTAK:

SHRIMATI RAKSHA NIKHIL KHADSE :

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a)   the details of the Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs) and Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs) established across the country since the inception of National Manuscript Mission in the year 2023, State/year-wise;
- (b)   the detailed review of the conservation of the cultural heritage by these MRCs & MCCs; and
- (c)   the detailed road map proposed for MRCs & MCCs?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF CULTURE, TOURISM & DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

(G. KISHAN REDDY)

- (a) Since the inception of the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) in 2003, the total number of Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs) and Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs) are 187 all across the country. The state wise list of all active MRCs and MCCs are attached in Annexure-A.
- (b) The NMM has documented 5.2 million number of manuscripts with the help of MRCs and conserved 90 million folios of the manuscripts with the help of MCCs across  the  country.  In  addition  to  this,  NMM  has  digitized  3.5  crore  pages  of manuscripts as a part of conserving the rich cultural heritage of the nation.
- (c) The detailed road map proposed for MRCs & MCCs are given below:-
- i. The NMM will open 25 MRCs and 25 MCCs.
- ii. Through the MRC, NMM will document around five lakhs manuscripts.
- iii. Through the MRC, NMM will do the conservation of 50 lakhs folios.
- iv. Through the MRC, NMM  will identify some rare and unpublished manuscripts related to 64 Kalas and after the transcription work NMM will publish.
- v. There are thousands of manuscripts which do not have catalogues. NMM has planned to prepare catalogues of the manuscripts.

Annexure-A

| State Wise Zone List   | State Wise Zone List   | State Wise Zone List   |
|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|
| Sl. No.                | States                 | Centres                |
| 1.                     | Gujarat                | 2                      |
| 2.                     | Madhya Pradesh         | 1                      |
| 3.                     | Maharashtra            | 3                      |
| 4.                     | Rajasthan              | 4                      |
| 5.                     | Haryana                | 1                      |
| 6.                     | Jammu & Kashmir        | 3                      |
| 7.                     | Himachal Pradesh       | 2                      |
| 8.                     | Ladakh                 | 1                      |
| 9                      | Punjab                 | 1                      |
| 10.                    | Uttarakhand            | 2                      |
| 11.                    | Andhra Pradesh         | 1                      |
| 12.                    | Karnataka              | 5                      |
| 13.                    | Kerala                 | 4                      |
| 14.                    | Tamil Nadu             | 3                      |
| 15.                    | Telengana              | 1                      |
| 16.                    | Assam                  | 4                      |
| 17.                    | Manipur                | 1                      |
| 18.                    | Sikkim                 | 1                      |
| 19.                    | Tripura                | 1                      |
| 20.                    | Bihar                  | 7                      |
| 21                     | Odisha                 | 2                      |
| 22.                    | Uttar Pradesh          | 6                      |
| 23.                    | West Bengal            | 4                      |