Lok Sabha Question No. 1359 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-08
Subject: Gyan Bharatam Initiative
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Shri Bunty Vivek Sahu, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Shri Saumitra Khan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1359 ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025

## GYAN BHARATAM INITIATIVE

†1359. Shri Biplab Kumar Deb: Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi: Shri Bunty Vivek Sahu: Shri Saumitra Khan:

Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state:

- (a) the details and objectives of the "Gyan Bharatam" national initiatives launched by the Government to preserve, digitalize and disseminate India's manuscript heritage;
- (b) whether  any technical and institutional measures  are being undertaken under the mission for cataloguing, conservation, digitalization and public access to manuscripts;
- (c)        if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  status  of  its implementation,  associate  institutions    and  number of digitalized manuscripts so far and regional cooperation;
- (d)      the  details  of  the  key  highlights,  commitments  and  targets  adopted  in  the  Delhi  Declaration  (Gyan Bharatam Sankalp Patra) and the manner in which it seeks to transform the preservation, revitalization, global publicity of India's manuscript heritage;
- (e)      whether  museums,  universities  or  research  institutes  of  Madhya  Pradesh  especially  Chhindwara  have been included in the said initiative, if so, the details thereof; and
- (f)      the  details  of  the  steps  taken/being  taken  to  protect  and  promote  Odissi  dance,  Odissi  Sangeeta  and Sambalpuri dance?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a)       Gyan Bharatam, the flagship initiative of Ministry of Culture (MoC), Government of India announced in  the  Union  Budget  (Para  84)  on  1 st February,  2025,  aimed  at  surveying,  documenting,  conserving, digitizing  and  disseminating  India's  manuscript  heritage.  The  initiative  envisages  collaboration  with academic institutions, museums, libraries and private  collectors to cover more than one crore manuscripts, while establishing a National Digital Repository supported by advanced  technology and Artificial Intelligence  to  ensure  access  and  global  reach.  To  support  the  initiative,  the  Standing  Finance  Committee (SFC) has sanctioned Rs.491.66 crore for the period 2025-2031.

(b)  &  (c)    The  Gyan  Bharatam  Digital  Web  Portal  has  been  launched  by  the Hon'ble  Prime  Minister of India.  Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) have been signed with 31 institutions, of which 19 Centres will serve as Cluster Centres and 12 Centres as Independent Centres, working across Gyan Bharatam's five core verticals: Survey & Cataloguing; Conservation & Capacity Building; Technology & Digitization; Linguistics & Translation and Research, Publication & Outreach. Technology partners have been finalized to support Cluster Centres and Independent Centres across the country. Approximately 3.5 lakh Manuscripts have been digitized in Gyan Bharatam.

- (d)          The  Delhi  Declaration  (Gyan  Bharatam  Sankalp  Patra)  sets  out  a  national  commitment  for preserving, digitizing and revitalizing India's vast manuscript heritage by uniting institutions, scholars, communities  and  private  custodians.  Emphasizing  manuscripts  as  the  living  memory  of  India's civilization, it calls for modern conservation practices, large-scale digital access and renewed research to bring traditional knowledge into contemporary relevance. By transforming heritage preservation into a people's movement and promoting global collaboration, the Declaration plays a transformative role in safeguarding  diverse  scripts  and  knowledge  traditions  while  positioning  India  as  a  global  centre  for manuscript-based learning.
- (e)     Gyan Bharatam is a Pan India initiative and therefore, its scope is not confined to any specific State or region of the country. Accordingly, MoU has been signed with Dr. Harisingh Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh under the Gyan Bharatam initiative.
- (f)            Sangeet  Natak  Akademi,  an  autonomous  organization  under  MoC,  organizes  festivals, workshops, exhibitions, and other programmes to promote and preserve India's classical, traditional, tribal and folk performing arts, including Odissi Dance, Odissi Music and Sambalpuri Dance. It also holds music festivals, seminars and workshops and confers national honours such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar to artists of Odissi Dance and Odissi Music.

The  Eastern  Zonal  Cultural  Centre  (EZCC),  Kolkata,  an  autonomous  organization  under  MoC, promotes the folk art of its member states, including in Odisha and regularly showcases Sambalpuri Dance (a vibrant folk dance form) through cultural events and festivals.

*****