Lok Sabha Question No. 2393 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-15
Subject: Activities of National Research Laboratory
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Dr. Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2393 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.12.2025

## Activities of National Research Laboratory

## 2393. Dr. Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the activities of the National Research Laboratory for conservation of cultural property during the last five years;
- (b)  whether the Government has allocated any funds for its activities during the last five years; and
- (c)  if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF CULTURE & TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a): The details are attached as Annexure-I.

- (b) & (c): Yes, sir. Details are as under:-

| Financial Year             |   Allocated Budget (in Lakh) |   Expenditure (in Lakh) |
|----------------------------|------------------------------|-------------------------|
| 2021-22                    |                       919.22 |                  842.22 |
| 2022-23                    |                       539    |                  465.48 |
| 2023-24                    |                       454.07 |                  412.78 |
| 2024-25                    |                       419.72 |                  403.68 |
| 2025-26 (up to 30.11.2025) |                       488    |                  293.53 |

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2393 for 15.12.2025

The details of the activities of National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property during the last five years

National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) , Lucknow established in 1976 is a subordinate office of the Ministry of Culture. It is a premier research organization  with  the  mandate  to  Dating,  Environmental  Archaeology,  Technical  study  by physical  and  chemical  means,  Conservation  methods,  Reference  documentation,  Assistance  to other  laboratories,  Assistance  to  museums-  state  departments  of  archaeology-ASI-universitieslibraries having no laboratory, training in conservation and liaison with national and international bodies.

2. The details of the activities of National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) during the last five years in various fields are as follows:-

RESEARCH

## Ongoing Projects

1. Effect of Tin in Bronze Alloys on the Corrosion Protection Efficacy of Modified Paraloid B72  Coating,  Principal  Investigator:  Dr.  Preeti  Verma,  Funding  Agency:  DST-SHRI, Project Cost: 62 lakh (Approx.)
2. Evaluation  of  Silane  Coatings  for  Enhancing  Corrosion  Resistance  of  Copper  Cultural Artifacts, Principal Investigator: Dr. Preeti Verma
3. Effect of Cuprite and Malachite Layers on the Corrosion Protection Efficacy of Paraloid B72  and  PMMA  Coatings  on  Copper  Substrates,  Principal  Investigator:  Dr.  Preeti Verma, Project Member: Mr. Shailesh B.
4. The  effect  of  different  additive  proportions  on  the  compressive  strength  of  mortars prepared as per the ASTM Standard , Principal Investigator: Dr. K.S.S. Mounika, Co-PI: Dr. Preeti Verma (Project to be undertaken)
5. The impact of UV exposure, relative humidity, temperature and salt spray tests on the durability of these mortar samples, Dr. K.S.S. Mounika, Co-PI: Dr. Preeti Verma (Project to be undertaken)

## Completed Projects

1. Corrosion Protection  Performance of  Paraloid  B72  Coating  Modified by  Dispersion  of Nano  Aluminium  Oxide  Powder  on  Iron  Using  EIS,  Principal  Investigator:  Dr.  Preeti Verma, Sponsored by INSA
2. Influence of Polyvinyl Acetate Coating Concentration on Corrosion Behavior of Copper:
3. In Perspective of Cultural Artifacts, Principal Investigator: Dr. Preeti Verma
3. Electrochemical Impedance and Surface Characterization of Microcrystalline Wax Coating on Copper for Conservation Application, Principal Investigator: Dr. Preeti Verma
4. Structure-  Property  Correlation  of  the  Copper  Alloy  Coins  of  different  Periods  and Regions such as Kaushambi, Sasanian, Mughal, British Coins, Principal Investigator: Dr. Preeti Verma

## PUBLICATIONS

- 1) Tahseen Karche, M.R. Singh (2021), Biologically induced calcium oxalate mineralization on 15 th century lime mortar, Murud Seafort, India, Journal of Archaeological Science : Reports, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2021.103178
- 2) Anjali  Sharma,  M.R.  Singh  (2021),  A  Review  on  Historical  Earth  Pigments  Used  in India's Wall Paintings, Heritage, https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage 4030112
- 3) M.R.  Singh,  K.  Ganaraj,  V.M.  Sharma  (2021),  Microbial  activity  and  studies  on excavated  megalithic  micaceous  potsherds  from  Peninsular  India,  Cermica,  67  (2021) 250-260, http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0366-69132021673823026
- 4) Deepakshi  Sharma,  M.R.  Singh,  M.  Velayudhan  Nair  (2021),  Scientific  analysis  of indigenous materials in Indian palm-leaf manuscripts, ICOM-CC,  19 th Triennial Conference, 2021 Beijing
- 5) B. Dighe, M.R. Singh, T. Karche (2021), Traditional use of organic additives (bamboo foliage, flax fibre and millet grains) in 16 th century  lime plaster of Solapur Fort, India, Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, Vol 20(1), January 2021, pp 106-116
- 6) Vandana Singh, M.R. Singh (2021), Microscopic Imaging of Entrapped Slag in Ancient Iron Artifact (300 BCE) from the Middle Ganga Plains of India, International Journal of History of Science, VOL 55.4, pp 1-9.
- 7) Anjali  Sharma,  M.R. Singh  and  Karambir  Singh (2021), Transfer of  Wall Paintings in India:  A  Review  and  Approach,  Studies  in  Conservation  DOI:10.1080/00393630. 2021.1890425
- 8) Siva Sankar Panda, Neena Singh and M.R. Singh (2021), Development, characterization of  traditional  inks  for  restoration  of  ancient  manuscripts  and  application  on  various substrates to understand stability, https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.vibspec.2021.103232
- 9) Preeti Verma et. al., 'Influence of Polyvinyl Acetate Coating Concentration on Corrosion Behaviour  Of  Copper:  In  Perspective  of  Cultural  Artefacts',  Canadian  Metallurgical Quarterly (2025): 1-10.
- 10) Preeti  Vermaet. al.,  Microstructural Characterization of EarlyTwentieth-Century British Period Indian Copper Coins, X-Ray Spectrometry, 50 (6) (2021): 482-490
- 11) Preeti  Vermaet.  al.,  Microscopic  Examination  of  the  2,300  Year  Old  Excavated  Steel Plowshare From Northern India, X-Ray Spectrometry 48 (6) 674-681
- 12) Preeti  Vermaet.  al.,  Metallurgical  Investigations  of  Indo-Sasanian  Copper-Silver  Alloy Coins  Of  Gurjara-Pratiharas  Dynasty,  Metallurgical  And  Materials  Engineering(2020) ISSN 2217-8961
- 13) Preeti  Vermaet.  al.,  'Microstructural  Characterization  of  High  Tin  Bronze  Mirror, Arnamula, Kerala', Research And Developments In Material Processing, Modelling and Characterization (RDMPMC 2020), Aug 24-26, 2020, NIT Jamshedpur.
- 14) Preeti Verma et. al., Microstructural Characterization Of Early Twentieth Century British Period  Indian  Copper  Coins,  Webinar  For  Young  Researchers  In  Metallurgical  & Materials Science, Aug 12-14, 2020, CSIR-NML.
- 15) Preeti Verma, et al. The Corrosion Behavior of The Paraloid B72 Protective Coating On Copper Using EIS, International Conference On Corrosion And Coating (i3c), December 07-08, 2022, CSIR, NML
- 16) Preeti Verma et. al., Effect of Concentration and Multilayered Paraloid B72 Coating On Corrosion  Behaviour  of  Mild  Steel,  Eis,  International  Conference  On  Corrosion  And Coating (i3C), February 07-08, 2022, CSIR, NML.
- 17) 01Book on the Conservation of Metallic Artifacts is also about to be finalised.
- 18) 05 Manuscripts are under review and about to be submitted.
- 19) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  and  Sachin  Kumar  Agnihotri  (2025).  Fungal  Deterioration  of Monument with Special Reference to Aspergillus: A Case Study. International Journal of Development Research. 15 (01): 67586-67588.
- 20) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  (2025).  Eco-Friendly  Methods  To  Control  Bio-Deterioration  Of Cultural Property. Conservation of Cultural Property in India Vol.(43):190-193.
- 21) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  and  Sachin  Kumar  Agnihotri  (2025).  Fungal  deterioration  of monument with special reference to As per gillus: A case study. Conservation of Cultural Property in India Vol.(43):169-173.
- 22) Presentation  on  title  'Preserving  Cultural  Heritage  through  natural  insect  repellent: Sustainable strategies for Scientific Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Property' in the 52th National conference of IASC on Conservation of Cultural Property held on 23 rd -25 th Sep 2025 at Assam State Museum, Guwahati.
- 23) Presentation  on  title  'Bio-deterioration  of  Cultural  Property  and  their  Eco-  friendly Conservation'  in  the  National  conference  of  ICBCP  held  on  25 th -27 th Feb  2025  at Manipur University, Imphal.
- 24) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  and  Sachin  Kumar  Agnihotri  (2024).  Fungal  deterioration  of monument  with  reference  to  Queen's  Mosque  and  Tomb  at  Sarangpur,  Ahmedabad, India. International Journal of Biology Innovations, 7(2): 149-152.
- 25) Sanjay Prasad  Gupta  and  Sachin Kumar  Agnihotri  (2024).  Bio-deterioration and scientific preservation of Queen's Mosque, J. Env. Sci. Pollut. Res. 10(3): 498-500.
- 26) Sanjay Prasad Gupta and Iliyas Ahmad. (2024). New Approach for Restoration of Ivory and Ivory Inlay object with reference to objects at Maharaja Laxmishwar Singh Museum, Darbhanga,  India  :  A  Case  Study.  Conservation  of  Cultural  Property  in  India.  Vol (42):142-146.
- 27) Presentation  on  title  'Eco-Friendly  Methods  to  Control  Bio-Deterioration  of  Cultural Property'  in  the  51 st National  conference  of  IASC  on  Conservation,  Technology  and Scientific  Study  of  Ancient  and  Historic  Metals  held  on  14 th -15 th Sep 2024 at MMCF, Udaipur.
- 28) Presentation  on  title  'Bio  Deterioration  of  ancient  monuments:  Cause  and  Remidial Measures' in the Environment & Social Welfare Society, Khajuraho organized ESW XI annual National Research Conference held on 28 th - 29 th Jan 2024 Khajuraho.
- 29) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  and  Iliyas  Ahmed.  Conservation  of  Wooden  Monuments  of Maldives: An Endeavour of Padmasri O.P. Agrawal Gains Reputation to the Nation. A chapter in a book of Biodeterioration of Cultural Property and Researches on Conservation of Heritage Buildings, Maya Publishing House, New Delhi, 259-280,2023.
- 30) Sanjay Prasad Gupta and Iliyas Ahmad. (2024). New Approach for Restoration of Ivory and Ivory Inlay object with reference to objects at Maharaja Laxmishwar Singh Museum, Darbhanga, India : A  Case Study. Conservation of Cultural Property in India. Vol(42):142-146.
- 31) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  and  Sachin  Kumar  Agnihotri,  Fungal  deterioration  of  historical monument  with  reference  to  Jaleshwarnath  temple  of  Shivpur,  Chhattisgarh,  India. International Journal of Biology Sciences , 5(2): 19-21, 2023.
- 32) Sanjay Prasad Gupta and Sachin Kumar  Agnihotri. Fungal Involvement in Bio weathering of Historical Monument with reference to Bateshwar Hindu Temples, Morena Town  of  Madhya  Pradesh,  India,  International  Journal  of  Current  Research  Vol.  15, Issue, 08, pp.25631-25634 August, 2023.
- 33) Gupta,  S.P.  &  Agnihotri  S.K.  Isolation  and  Identification  of  Fungal  Species  and Scientific Preservation of World Heritage: Case of Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh, India.
- 34) The  book  titled  'Modern  Perspectives  in  the  Field  of  Cultural  Heritage  Conservation' authored by Sanjay Prasad Guha and Atul Kumar Yadav, published  in  Hindi  by  Maya  Publication,  New  Delhi.  Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta.  Fungal Involvement  in  Bio  Weathering  of  Historical  Monument  with  Reference  to  Gopinath Temple  at  Gopeshwar  Town,  Chamoli,  Uttrakhand,  India.  International  Journal  of science and Research (IJSR).Vol-12 (1,) 356-358:2023.
- 35) Sanjay Prasad Gupta and Manoj Kumar Kurmi. Impact of Fungi on Historical Monument with reference to Mahadev temple Bastar of Chhattisgarh. International Journal of Life Science and Research Archive, 04(01,001-005:2023.
- 36) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  and  Rohit  Mishra.  Fungal  Involvement  in  Bio  Weathering  of Historical  Monument  with  Reference  to  Rumi  Darwazaat  Lucknow  (Uttar  Pradesh), India,  International  Journal  of  Science  and  Technology  Research  Archive,04(01),  222225:2023 Sanjay Prasad Gupta and Nitin Kumar Maurya. Microbial Studies to Evaluate Bio- Deterioration of Oil Painting on Masonite board and its Conservation, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) 11:1,723-728:2022.
- 37) Sanjay Prasad  Gupta  and  Iliyas  Ahmed . Selection of Adhesives  And  Fillers In Conservation  Of  Wooden  Monument  Deteriorated  By  Termite  With  Reference  To Dharumavantha Rasegafanu Mosque at male, Maldives, International Journal of Current Research, 14, (02), 20596-20600: 2022.
- 38) Sanjay  Prasad  Gupta  et  al.  Sanitization-mediated  Conservation  Therapy  of  Cultural Property in COVID Situation: an Eco-Friendly Approach German Journal of Advanced Scientific Research (AJASR) , Vol. 1, Issue. 1, pp. 1-4:2021.
- 39) Sanjay Prasad Gupta et al. Efficacy of Natural Plant Product For Preventive Preservation Of Documentary Heritage Against Aspergillus Flavus : A Case Study. INT J CONSERV SCI 12, 2,: 443-450 444:2021.

## CONSERVATION

| S.No   | Project Title                                                 | Nature of objects                                                                                                                            | No of objects conserved   |
|--------|---------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------|
|        | Year 2020-2021                                                | Year 2020-2021                                                                                                                               | Year 2020-2021            |
| 1.     | Conservation Project at SMM Theatre crafts museum, New Delhi. | Collection mainly contains polychrome wooden masks, leather puppets, wooden artifacts, paper materials etc. related to Indian folklore arts. | 101                       |
| 2.     | Conservation Projects of                                      | Cloths, Water pots, stoves etc.                                                                                                              | 1358                      |

|     | personal belongings of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar at NIT, Nagpur                                                                                     |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |                                                                  |
|-----|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 3.  | Conservation project at Shree Maruti Temple Project, KR Nagar, Karnataka-                                                                             | The paintings were used for worship during the Ramanavami festival procession. They have great artistic and cultural significance in traditional Mysore painting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | 02                                                               |
|     | 2021-2022                                                                                                                                             | 2021-2022                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | 2021-2022                                                        |
| 4.  | Conservation Project at Maharajadhiraj Laxmeshwar Singh Museum, Darbhanga, Bihar                                                                      | Collection is made of ivory, silver, bone and wooden artifacts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    | 176                                                              |
| 5.  | Conservation of different types of objects of Patna Museum, Patna                                                                                     | Manuscripts of Rahul Sankrityayan, silica paintings, glass paintings, cloths                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      | 500 folios of manuscripts, 12 silica paintings 6 glass paintings |
|     | 2022-2023 &2023-2024                                                                                                                                  | 2022-2023 &2023-2024                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | 2022-2023 &2023-2024                                             |
| 6.  | Conservation Project at Sultanpur Museum, Uttar Pradesh                                                                                               | Collection of sculptures from 12 th to 17 th Century and paintings of different styles, wooden sculptures of Ganesha.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | 76                                                               |
| 7.  | Conservation Project of Golden Chariot at Sri Chitra Enclave, Trivandrum, Zoo campus                                                                  | 18 th century Golden Chariot of Travancore royal family used by Kings for Dushera festivals. It is huge chariot of 18x9x23 feet in dimension. beautifully decorated with gold foil and silver thread                                                                                                                                                                              | 01                                                               |
|     | 2023-24-25                                                                                                                                            | 2023-24-25                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 2023-24-25                                                       |
| 8.  | Conservation Project at J.J college of arts, Mumbai                                                                                                   | Paintings of contemporary artists of Maharashtra states                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           | 100                                                              |
| 9.  | Conservation Project at J.J college of arts, Mumbai                                                                                                   | Books related to Fine arts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        | 100                                                              |
| 10. | Conservation Project at Sri Ambujavalli Temple, Mysore Karnataka- Sri Varahaswami and Ambujavalli temples, located within the Mysore Palace premises, | Feature exquisite mural paintings and architecture resembling the temples of Belur and Somnathpura. Inscriptions suggest construction between 1672-1704 AD. Historical records note that Sri Chikkadevaraja Wadiyar brought the Varahaswami deity from Srirangapatna in 1809 and commissioned this temple in Hoyasala style. The Ambujavalli temple was built during the reign of | 350 Sq. foot                                                     |

|     |                                                                           | Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, marking the peak of Mysore's traditional art. Temple construction dates are known but the painting dates remain unrecorded.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |                   |
|-----|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
|     | 2024-2025                                                                 | 2024-2025                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              | 2024-2025         |
| 11. | Conservation Project at Shree Maruti temple project, KR Nagar, Karnataka  | According to the temple trust, the paintings are over ninety years old and they are used for worship during the Ramanavami festival procession. They have great artistic and cultural significance in traditional Mysore painting.                                                                                                                                                                                                     | 02                |
| 12. | Conservation Project of Oil paintings of Begam Samruat Rajbhawan Lucknow. | Oil paintings were made of Begam Samru, paintings were decorated with beautiful frames with original gold paint which was hidden under several layers of commercial gold paint. Joanna Nobilis Sombre (c. 1753 - 27 January 1836), popularly known Begum Samru, a convert Catholic Christian, started her career as dancing girl in 18th- century India, and eventually became the ruler of Sardhana a small principality near Meerut. | 02 (7x4 ft size ) |

## TRAINING IN CONSERVATION

| Year    | Name of the course/Practical training course/workshop                                                                                                                             |   Number of participants |
|---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|
| 2020-21 | Six months course in conservation of cultural property.                                                                                                                           |                       07 |
| 2021-22 | Six months course in conservation of cultural property                                                                                                                            |                       05 |
|         | Two weeks practical training in conservation of art objects for the students M.A. Museology of department of museology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi                        |                       12 |
|         | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the students of Post Graduate Diploma in Museology and Archaeology of Sampurnanand University, Varanasi |                       22 |
|         | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the master students of Museology of Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata                                 |                       10 |

| 2022-23   | Six months course in conservation of cultural property                                                                                                                                               |   09 |
|-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
|           | Practical training course in Conservation Oil Paintings                                                                                                                                              |   11 |
|           | Practical training course in Conservation Wall Paintings                                                                                                                                             |   07 |
|           | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the master students of Museology of Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata                                                    |   23 |
|           | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the students of Post Graduate Diploma in Museology and Archaeology of Sampurnanand University, Varanasi                    |   26 |
|           | Two weeks practical training in conservation of art objects for the students M.A. Museology of department of museology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi                                           |   10 |
| 2023-24   | Six months course in conservation of cultural property                                                                                                                                               |   11 |
|           | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the students of Post Graduate Diploma in Museology and Archaeology of Sampurnanand University, Varanasi                    |   16 |
|           | Two weeks practical training in conservation of art objects for the students M.A. Museology of department of museology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi                                           |   08 |
|           | Two weeks practical training in conservation of paintings for the students M.A. Museology of department of M.A. Conservation of School of Heritage research &Management, New Delhi.                  |   06 |
|           | Two weeks practical training in conservation of paintings for the students M.A. Museology of department of M.A. Museology of department of museology, Maharaja Saijirao Gaykwad University, Vadodara |   06 |
|           | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the master students of Museology of Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata                                                    |   25 |
| 2024-25   | Six months course in conservation of cultural property                                                                                                                                               |   29 |
|           | Two weeks practical training in conservation of Museum objects for the students M.A. Museology of department of M.A. Conservation of School of Heritage research & Management, New Delhi             |   15 |
|           | Two weeks practical training in conservation of art objects for the students M.A. Museology of department of museology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi                                           |   08 |
|           | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the students of Post Graduate Diploma in Museology and Archaeology of Sampurnanand University, Varanasi                    |   26 |
|           | Two weeks practical training course in conservation of museum objects for the master students of Museology of Rabindra Bharti University, Kolkata                                                    |   33 |

| 2025 -26   | One week international workshop by NRLC on Conservation of Paintings practices in India at National Gallery of Fine Arts, Kula Lumpur, Malaysia   |   28 |
|------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------|
|            | Six months course in conservation of cultural property                                                                                            |   24 |

NRLC- Library offered circulation services and reference Services to the patrons including staff, six months trainees, research scholars, etc. covering various parts of India.

********