Parliament Question: Gyan Bharatam Initiative

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION No.*1 ANSWERED ON 20.07.2026 Gyan Bharatam Initiative *1.SHRI DHAVAL LAXMANBHAI PATEL: SHRI RAJKUMAR CHAHAR: Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: a) the objectives and key components of the Gyan Bharatam initiative launched to safeguard India’s manuscript legacy; b) whether the said initiative for preservation of India’s manuscript and knowledge legacy includes documentation of oral and manuscript traditions of tribal communities, including those of South Gujarat such as the Dhodia, Kokna and Varli communities of Valsad Constituency; c) the progress made in digitisation, preservation and dissemination of ancient manuscripts and knowledge traditions including such tribal knowledge traditions under the said initiative; d) the manner in which this initiative integrates with broader efforts to strengthen India’s civilisational and knowledge heritage; and e) whether the Government has any roadmap for wider scholarly engagement, collaboration and public access to these digitised resources including the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (E) IN RESPECT OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NUMBER 1 FOR REPLY ON 20.07.2026 REGARDING GYAN BHARATAM INITIATIVE ASKED BY SHRI DHAVAL LAXMANBHAI PATEL & SHRI RAJKUMAR CHAHAR: (a) Gyan Bharatam, the nation-wide initiative of Ministry of Culture, Government of India announced in the Union Budget (Para 84) on 1st February 2025, aimed at surveying, documenting, conserving, digitizing, and disseminating India’s manuscript heritage. To support the initiative, the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) has sanctioned Rs.491.66 crore for the period 2025-2031. The primary objectives of the Gyan Bharatam are as follows: 1. To leverage advanced technology to significantly enhance the pace of digitization and documentation of manuscripts. 2. Conducting survey and registration of manuscripts. 3. To document and catalogue Indian manuscripts, wherever they may be, maintain accurate and up-to-date information about them and the conditions under which they may be conserved. 4. To facilitate usage of manuscripts and promote ready access to these manuscripts through publications, both in book form as well as machine readable form. 5. To facilitate conservation and preservation of manuscripts through training awareness and financial support. 6. To boost scholarship and research in the study of Indian languages and manuscriptology. 7. To build up a National Digital Repository (NDR). The Key Components of Gyan Bharatam are: 1. Survey and registration of Manuscripts. 2. Building robust technology infrastructure and partnership. 3. Documentation of Manuscripts. 4. Conservation of Manuscripts. 5. Digitization of Manuscripts. 6. Publication of Manuscripts. 7. Capacity Building and Research. (b) Gyan Bharatam initiative has been launched on pan-India basis to carry out manuscripts related activities only and its benefits are not restricted to any specific community or region of the country.(c) The total number of digitized manuscripts available across the country is over 8 lakh, out of which, 3,53,947 manuscripts are available on Gyan Bharatam portal at present for public access in view mode. (d) The initiative integrates with broader efforts to strengthen India's civilizational and knowledge heritage by fostering collaboration among academic institutions, museums, libraries, and private collectors to document and preserve more than one crore manuscripts. It also envisages the establishment of a National Digital Repository (NDR), supported by advanced technologies and Artificial Intelligence, to facilitate preservation, enhance accessibility, and extend the global reach of India's rich manuscript heritage. (e) Roadmap for wider scholarly engagement and public access through the National Digital Repository, which includes:  Creation of a National Digital Repository (NDR) integrating digitized manuscripts from institutions and private custodians across the country.  Collaboration with academic, research and cultural institutions for research, documentation, conservation, publication and dissemination.  Digitization and metadata standardization to ensure interoperability, discoverability and long- term preservation of manuscript collections.  Development of AI-enabled technologies, including Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR), Large Language Script Model (LLSM) for transliteration, translation and semantic search for improved access to manuscript content.  Encouraging Scholars to work on scientific, rare, and contemporary themed manuscripts, wand creation of critical interdisciplinary, multilingual, regional language publications. *****