Parliament Question: Preservation of ancient languages

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2273 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12.03.2026 PRESERVATION OF ANCIENT LANGUAGES 2273. DR. DHARMASTHALA VEERENDRA HEGGADE: Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: (a) the details of funds allocated and utilized in preserving India’s ancient languages through institutional responsibilities and the proposed timeline for establishment and operations of cultural centres in Karnataka; (b) the details of ancient languages, texts, manuscripts, inscriptions, oral traditions, etc. that are likely to be preserved or studied under the upcoming Centres; (c) whether digitization, research, translation or teaching components are being included in the preservation process and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the manner in which such Centres align with national policy frameworks or schemes? ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT) (a) to (d) The Ministry of Culture through its autonomous bodies such as Sahitya Akademi, and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts promote, research, and preserve the India’s cultural heritage of Ancient Languages, and also through its flagship programmes, such as Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), preserves India’s Cultural Heritage including ancient languages. Regional Centre of Sahitya Akademi is already functioning in Karnataka. There is no such plan to open additional cultural centres. Organizations under the Ministry already collaborate with other institutions of the Government of India and State Governments including the Government of Karnataka to celebrate the rich culture of the region. The details of funds released to Sahitya Akademi in the past 3 years is enclosed in Annexure – I.The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts undertakes scholarly works relating to ancient languages, texts, manuscripts, inscriptions and oral traditions through its academic programmes, and projects covering linguistic and cultural traditions of India. The Gyan Bharatam Mission of the Government of India is launched as a visionary national movement dedicated to preserving, digitising, and disseminating India’s vast manuscript heritage. The centres under the Gyan Bharatam Mission focus on the preservation and study of ancient Indian manuscripts only, irrespective of script or language. Under the existing framework there is focus on the five core verticals mentioned as below: i. Survey and Cataloguing ii. Conservation and Capacity Building iii. Technology and Digitisation iv. Linguistics and Translation v. Research, Publication, and Outreach The GBM signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with these Centres on case-to- case basis, to carry out the activities aligned with National Policy Frameworks. ***Annexure - I Release of Funds to Sahitya Akademi (Amount in Lakh) Budget Heads Released Released 2023- Released 2022-2023 24 2024-25 Grant in Aid General 2243.16 2201.59 2694.00 Grant in Aid Creation 300.00 300.00 240.00 of Capital Assets Grant in Aid Salaries 1650.00 1850.00 1750.00 Swachhta Action Plan- 5.00 5.00 5.00 General Total 4198.16 4356.59 4689.00