Parliament Question: National Mission on Cultural Mapping

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 659 TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.02.2026 NATIONAL MISSION ON CULTURAL MAPPING 659# SHRI SHAMBHU SHARAN PATEL: SHRI RAJIB BHATTACHARJEE: SHRI JAGGESH: SHRI SADANAND MHALU SHET TANAVADE: SHRI BRIJ LAL: Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state:- (a) the progress achieved under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping during the year 2025 in documenting India’s tangible and intangible cultural assets; (b) the number of artists, cultural practitioners and heritage elements mapped under the mission and the geographic spread thereof; (c) the manner in which the cultural database is being utilised for policy planning, cultural promotion and livelihood support; and (d) whether the Ministry proposes to further integrate the mission’s outputs with tourism, education or digital heritage platforms and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) The Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar (MGMD) Programme under National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM) documents a wide range of tangible and intangible cultural assets down to the village level across the States/UTs in the form of a digital repository. 6.23 lakh villages across the country have been culturally mapped under MGMD. (b) Sir, data collected under MGMD is organized village-wise and not as per specific cultural categories. Individual artists, cultural practitioners and other heritage elements, wherever present, have been mapped under cultural profiles of respective villages on the MGMD Portal.(c) The MGMD Programme leads to strengthening of rural identity by creating authentic, village-level cultural profiles that recognise local traditions, practices and heritage assets. The availability of structured cultural data on a single national portal supports planning for cultural promotion, thereby contributing to sustainable livelihood generation and rural economic development. (d) The MGMD portal functions as a digital repository of village-level cultural data. However, no specific initiatives for promotion of heritage villages through tourism or educational programmes have been undertaken under the MGMD Programme so far. *******