Parliament Question: Digital Cultural Governance and Monitoring of Cultural Initiatives

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 394 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026 Digital Cultural Governance and Monitoring of Cultural Initiatives 394: SHRI TEJASVI SURYA:

SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

SMT. KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT:

DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:

(a) the details of the digital platforms developed and operationalised for recording and monitoring manuscript digitisation, heritage conservation and public cultural engagement across its schemes, museums, archives, libraries and institutions in the country especially in National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi;

(b) the details of the steps taken so far to integrate data from museums, archives, manuscript resource centres and cultural outreach initiatives into these digital platforms across the country, including the nature of coordination with the Government of NCT of Delhi;

(c) the manner in which digital monitoring tools and data analytics are being utilised to ensure effective policy oversight, transparency and performance evaluation of cultural schemes and projects in the country especially in NCT of Delhi;

(d) whether the Government proposes to further strengthen digital cultural governance in Delhi through the establishment of a centralised digital dashboard for real-time monitoring and policy decision-making in the country especially in NCT of Delhi and if so, the details thereof;

(e) the details of the heritage conservation and public cultural engagement by the Government in Maharashtra; and

(f) the details of the Government's plan for tribal heritage and cultural conservation in the tribal dominated districts in the country like Palghar district in Maharashtra? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (c): Ministry of Culture and various organizations as enumerated below have developed and operationalised following digital platforms for recording and monitoring manuscript digitisation, heritage conservation and public cultural engagement across its schemes, museums, archives, libraries and institutions throughout the country including National Capital Territory (NCT) of

Delhi:  The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has digitized artefacts in its site museums as per the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) standards, available at

https://nmma.nic.in/nmma/indexAction.do. The Gyan Bharatam Mission has launched the Gyan Bharatam Web Portal (https://gyanbharatam.com/) for digitizing manuscripts, with MoUs signed with over 40 institutions and state entities to support Indian Manuscript heritage preservation.

 The Ministry of Culture has collaborated with C-DAC, Pune, using the "JATAN" software for digitizing museum collections.  The Abhilekh Patal, a digital repository by the National Archives of India (NAI), offers access to India’s historical documents at https://www.abhilekh-patal.in/.

 Digital platforms like the National Cultural Audiovisual Archive (NCAA) and Kalāsampadā repository enable centralized access to digitized manuscripts and ethnographic materials through the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

 The National Virtual Library of India (NVLI) has created ‘The Indian Culture Portal’ that aggregates digital artefacts from various Ministry of Culture organizations.  Seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) in Patiala, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur, Thanjavur, Nagpur, and Udaipur are engaged in research and documentation to promote visual and performing arts, including music and theatre.

(d): Ministry of Culture has significantly enhanced digital cultural governance through the operationalization of the Cultural Schemes Dashboard (https://culturescheme.dashboard.nic.in/home/) which provides a centralized interface for real- time monitoring and data-driven policy decision-making in the country including NCT of Delhi.

(e) & (f): There are 286 Centrally Protected Monuments and Sites in Maharashtra managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), with conservation carried out as needed according to the National Policy for Conservation. The South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) and West Zone Cultural Centre (WZCC) regularly organize cultural programs, providing annual grants for initiatives such as the Orange City Craft Mela and workshops for tribal artists. Additionally, IGNCA focuses on documenting and archiving Maharashtra's diverse heritage, engaging the public through exhibitions and academic collaborations, particularly in tribal areas like Palghar.

MoUs under the Gyan Bharatam Mission have been established with various educational and cultural institutions in the state like Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Nagpur, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune and Department of Culture, Govt. of Maharashtra.

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