**Executive Summary**
The document is the answer to Unstarred Question No. 1312 in Lok Sabha, answered on 08.12.2025, regarding the "Need for National Digital Preservation Policy." It addresses concerns raised about the lack of a national policy, digitization standards, infrastructure, preservation mechanisms, and expertise within cultural institutions. It references NMMA digitization projects, the Indian Heritage platform, and the training of ASI Librarians.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **National Digital Preservation Policy Concerns:**
* The country still lacks a National Digital Preservation Policy.
* Cultural institutions continue to digitize without uniform standards or guidelines.
* Over 80% of libraries and archives reportedly lack minimum digitization infrastructure.
* Digital media deterioration and obsolete storage devices cause irreversible loss of heritage materials.
* Many projects collapse midway due to chronic underfunding.
* Archivists and librarians cite lack of technical expertise due to zero investment in training.
* **Government's Response:**
* The National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) is digitizing unprotected monuments, sites, and antiquities according to its digitization policy.
* The "Indian Heritage" mobile application, launched in September 2023, provides access to protected monuments.
* Digitization is guided by the accepted and published policies of respective organizations.
* The Central Archaeological Library (ASI) has digitized 12,247 books and 10 lakh pages outside the copyrighted material domain.
* Digitized materials of the ASI are stored with the help of cloud services.
* The digital documentation initiative for monuments and antiquities of the ASI is currently ongoing.
* Librarians of the Archaeological Survey of India regularly participate in training programs.
**Impact Analysis**
* **National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA)**
**Impact:** NMMA is tasked with digitizing unprotected monuments, sites, and antiquities.
**Action Required:** Continue digitizing the unprotected monuments according to its digitization policy.
* **Cultural Institutions**
**Impact:** The content in the response addresses the issue of not having national standards.
**Action Required:** Follow the policy of their respective organizations.
* **The Central Archaeological Library (ASI)**
**Impact:** Storage of digitized material is supported with cloud services. ASI has digitized a considerable volume of books and pages.
**Action Required:** Continue the digitization initiative. Participate in training.
Key Entities Referenced
National Digital Preservation Policy: The central focus of the parliamentary question, inquiring about its absence and related issues.
Ministry of Culture: The primary government body responsible for addressing the questions regarding the National Digital Preservation Policy and related digitization efforts.
National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA): A program under which unprotected monuments, sites and antiquities are being digitized.
Archaeological Survey of India: An organization involved in digitization efforts mentioned in the answer, including storage of digitized materials.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF CULTURE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1312
ANSWERED ON 08.12.2025
NEED FOR NATIONAL DIGITAL PRESERVATION POLICY
1312. SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B:
Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state :
(a) whether it is a fact that the country still lacks a National Digital Preservation Policy
despite two decades of repeated expert warnings, if so, the reasons for this delay;
(b) whether most cultural institutions continue to digitize without any uniform standards or
guidelines, if so, the reasons for non-establishment of basic national protocols;
(c) whether over 80 per cent of libraries and archives reportedly lack even minimum
digitization infrastructure despite ongoing digital-India claims, if so, the reasons
therefor;
(d) whether the digital media deterioration and obsolete storage devices are causing
irreversible loss to heritage materials, if so, the reasons for not operational preservation
mechanism;
(e) whether it is also a fact that many projects collapse midway due to chronic
underfunding of digitization initiatives, if so, the reason therefor; and
(f) whether the Government is aware that archivists and librarians repeatedly cite lack of
technical expertise due to zero investment in training, if so, the reasons for ignorance of
capacity building?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM
(SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)
(a) National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) is digitizing unprotected
monuments, sites & antiquities of the country as per the digitization policy of the
NMMA. A depository of built heritage in the form of a user friendly mobile application
named ‘Indian Heritage’ as a single access platform for protected monuments of
national importance and sites has been launched in September 2023. This digital
platform provides access to built heritage through features like high-resolution images,
architectural details, and geo tagged locations of protected national monuments across
states.
(b) The Digitization is guided by the accepted and published policy of respective
organisations.
(c) The Central Archaeological Library, ASI has already digitized 12,247 books and 10
lakh pages, falling outside the copyrighted materials domain.
(d) Digitized materials of the Archaeological Survey of India are stored with the help of
cloud services.
(e) The digital documentation initiative for monuments & antiquities of the ASI is
currently ongoing.
(f) Librarians of the Archaeological Survey of India regularly take part in various training
programmes.