Lok Sabha Question No. 243 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Preservation of Ancient Languages
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Smt. Bharti Pardhi, Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shri Ravindra Dattaram Waikar, Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske, Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 243

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026

## PRESERVATION OF ANCIENT LANGUAGES

## 243. SMT. BHARTI PARDHI: SHRI SHRIRANG APPA CHANDU BARNE: DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE: SHRI RAVINDRA DATTARAM WAIKAR: SHRI NARESH GANPAT MHASKE:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  the  fund  allocated  and  utilized  in  preserving  India's  ancient  languages through  institutional  responsibilities  and  the  proposed  timeline  for  the  establishment and operations of cultural centers in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra;
- (b) the details of ancient languages, texts, manuscripts, inscriptions, oral traditions, etc. that are likely to be preserved or studied under the upcoming centres;
- (c) whether digitization, research, translation or teaching components are being included in the preservation process, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) the manner in which such centers align with national policy frameworks or schemes;
- (e) whether the existing centres of excellence or heritage language programmes are being leveraged or integrated and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (f) whether the infrastructure, human resource and archival capacity measures are being planned to ensure adequate preservation, academic work and public engagement and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d) The Ministry of Culture through its autonomous bodies such as Sahitya Akademi, and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts promote, research, and preserve the  India's  cultural  heritage  of  Ancient  Languages,  and  also  through  its  flagship programmes, such as Gyan Bharatam Mission, preserves India's Cultural Heritage including ancient languages.

Regional Centres of Sahitya Akademi and  Indira Gandhi  National Centre for the Arts  are  already  functioning  in  Maharashtra.  There  is  no  such  plan  to  open additional  cultural  centres  in  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Maharashtra.  Both  bodies collaborate with other institutions of the Government of India and State Governments  including  the  Government  of  Maharashtra  and  Government  of Madhya  Pradesh  to  celebrate  the  rich  culture  of  the  region.The  details  of  funds released to Sahitya Akademi and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in the past 5 years is enclosed in Annexure - I.

The Gyan Bharatam Mission of the Government of India is launched as a visionary national  movement  dedicated  to  preserving,  digitising,  and  disseminating  India's vast manuscript heritage.

The centres under the Gyan Bharatam Mission focus on the preservation and study of  ancient  Indian  manuscripts  only,  irrespective  of  script  or  language.  Under  the existing framework there is focus on the five core verticals mentioned as below:

- i. Survey and Cataloguing
- ii. Conservation and Capacity Building
- iii. Technology and Digitisation
- iv. Linguistics and Translation
- v. Research, Publication, and Outreach

The GBM signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with these Centres on caseto-case basis, to carry out the activities aligned with National Policy Frameworks.

- (e) Yes. Under the Gyan Bharatam Mission, existing centres and language programmes are leveraged for the promotion of Indian languages, including ancient languages. Institutions such as the Sahitya Akademi and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the  Arts  are  being  continuously  engaged  through  initiatives  like Gramalok and recognitions such as Bhasha Samman .  Further, programmes and awards dedicated to  ancient  languages  are  organised  annually  to  encourage  their  preservation  and wider dissemination.
- (f) Yes, Infrastructure, human resource, and capacities are planned. In this regard, the Ministry of Culture organized the first-ever  Gyan  Bharatam  International Conference  on  'Reclaiming  India's  Knowledge  Legacy  through  Manuscript Heritage' from 11 th - 13 th September 2025 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi . The conference  brought  together  over 1,000  participants, including  scholars,  experts, institutions, and cultural practitioners from across the country and abroad.

Discussions  centred  on  a  wide  range  of  themes-conservation  and  restoration  of manuscripts, survey and documentation standards, digitisation tools and platforms, AI-driven innovations like Handwritten Text Recognition and script decipherment, translation  and  publication  frameworks,  integration  with  education  and  culture, capacity building in manuscriptology, and copyright and legal issues.

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## Funds Released to SahityaAkademi and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts)

|   S. No. | Organisation Name   |   Released 2021-2022 |   Released 2022-2023 |   Released 2023-2024 |   Released 2024-2025 |
|----------|---------------------|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|
|        1 | SA                  |              4368.85 |              4198.16 |              4356.59 |                 4689 |
|        2 | IGNCA               |              5330    |             22977.8  |             10910    |                 7410 |

## Annexure - I