**Executive Summary**
This document summarizes the Indian government's response to a parliamentary inquiry regarding digital cultural governance and the monitoring of cultural initiatives, particularly focusing on the development and use of digital platforms for heritage conservation, manuscript digitization, and public cultural engagement. It details the actions taken by the Ministry of Culture and various organizations to digitize and integrate cultural data, as well as efforts in heritage conservation and cultural engagement in Maharashtra. The response was to be provided on February 2, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Digital Platforms and Initiatives:**
* The Ministry of Culture and associated organizations have developed and implemented digital platforms for recording and monitoring manuscript digitization, heritage conservation, and public cultural engagement. This includes the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
* The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has digitized artifacts in its site museums, following the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) standards.
* The Gyan Bharatam Mission launched a web portal for digitizing manuscripts, partnering with over 40 institutions and state entities.
* The Ministry of Culture collaborates with C-DAC, Pune, using "JATAN" software for digitizing museum collections.
* The Abhilekh Patal, a digital repository by the National Archives of India (NAI), offers access to historical documents.
* Digital platforms like the National Cultural Audiovisual Archive (NCAA) and Kalāsampadā enable centralized access to digitized manuscripts and ethnographic materials through IGNCA.
* The National Virtual Library of India (NVLI) created ‘The Indian Culture Portal’ to aggregate digital artifacts.
* Seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) promote visual and performing arts through research and documentation.
* **Digital Cultural Governance:**
* The Ministry of Culture has enhanced digital cultural governance through the Cultural Schemes Dashboard, providing a centralized interface for real-time monitoring and data-driven policy decision-making.
* **Heritage Conservation and Cultural Engagement in Maharashtra:**
* The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) manages 286 centrally protected monuments and sites in Maharashtra, conducting conservation as needed.
* The South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC) and West Zone Cultural Centre (WZCC) organize cultural programs and provide annual grants for initiatives like craft melas and tribal artist workshops.
* IGNCA documents and archives Maharashtra's heritage, engaging the public, especially in tribal areas like Palghar.
* MoUs under the Gyan Bharatam Mission have been established with various educational and cultural institutions in Maharashtra.
**Impact Analysis**
**Ministry of Culture and Associated Organizations**
* **Impact:** Responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining digital platforms for cultural preservation and monitoring. Required to integrate data and ensure effective policy oversight.
* **Action Required:** Continue to develop and improve digital platforms and governance mechanisms, focusing on data integration and public engagement.
**Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for digitizing artifacts and managing centrally protected monuments and sites.
* **Action Required:** Maintain and expand digitization efforts, following NMMA standards, and continue conservation efforts in Maharashtra.
**Cultural Institutions and Zonal Cultural Centers (ZCCs)**
* **Impact:** Involved in various digitization projects, cultural programs, and research.
* **Action Required:** Continue to partner with the Ministry of Culture and other organizations to digitize cultural assets, promote cultural activities, and engage with the public, especially in tribal areas.
**Public (General)**
* **Impact:** Increased access to digitized cultural heritage and participation in cultural programs.
* **Action Required:** Engage with the digital platforms and participate in cultural events and initiatives.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Culture: The primary entity responsible for developing and operationalizing digital platforms for cultural governance and heritage preservation, and answering the parliamentary question.
Cultural Schemes Dashboard: A centralized interface for real-time monitoring and data-driven policy decision-making related to cultural schemes in India.
National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi: A specific location repeatedly emphasized for the implementation and monitoring of digital cultural initiatives.
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI): An organization under the Ministry of Culture involved in digitizing artifacts and managing protected monuments and sites.
National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA): The standards used by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for digitizing artifacts in site museums.
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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