**Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM): Preservation and Digitization of Manuscript Heritage**
**Overview**
The Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), announced during the Union Budget 2025-26, is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Culture (MoC), Government of India. The mission is designed to provide a comprehensive framework for the preservation of India’s manuscript heritage through survey and registration, technology infrastructure development, documentation, conservation, digitization, and research.
**Mission Objectives and Implementation**
The GBM aims to safeguard manuscripts by onboarding various institutions and making conservation an integral activity through both preventive and curative methods. Key steps include:
* The establishment and upgradation of conservation laboratories within onboarded institutions.
* The implementation of capacity-building programs and hands-on training workshops.
* Collaboration with technical partners for metadata creation and integration with the National Digital Repository (NDR).
* The deployment of specialized equipment and an AI-integrated digital platform for long-term data storage.
**Key Metrics and Data Points**
* **Total Digitized Manuscripts:** More than 8 lakh manuscripts have been digitized across the country in formats such as DVD, HDD, and microfilms.
* **Public Accessibility:** 1.29 lakh digitized manuscripts are currently available for public viewing on the Gyan Bharatam Portal.
* **Recent Capacity Building:** A two-day conservation workshop was successfully conducted at the National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on February 12–13, 2026, featuring over 40 participants.
**Official Record**
This information was formally presented by the Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
**Document Details**
* **Posted On:** 23 MAR 2026, 1:25 PM by PIB Delhi
* **Release ID:** 2243787
* **Officer Name:** M Annadurai
* **Visitor Counter:** 136
Key Entities Referenced
Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM): A flagship initiative of the Ministry of Culture aimed at the survey, preservation, conservation, and digitization of India's manuscript heritage.
Ministry of Culture (MoC): The primary government ministry responsible for overseeing activities related to the documentation and safeguarding of manuscripts under the GBM.
Gyan Bharatam Portal: A public digital platform that provides view-mode access to digitized manuscripts.
National Digital Repository (NDR): A centralized technical infrastructure for metadata integration, AI-integrated digital platforms, and long-term data storage of manuscripts.
National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC), Lucknow: The key technical institution facilitating capacity building, workshops, and hands-on conservation training for the mission.
Ministry of Culture
Preservation and Digitization of Manuscript
Heritage
Posted On: 23 MAR 2026 1:25PM by PIB Delhi
Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), announced during Union Budget 2025-26, is a flagship initiative of the
Ministry of Culture (MoC), Government of India to undertake manuscripts related activities under various
components including survey and registration of manuscripts, building robust technology infrastructure
and partnership, documentation, preservation, conservation, digitization, publication of manuscripts and
capacity building & research.
The steps envisaged under GBM to safeguard India's manuscript heritage includes onboarding of
institutions making conservation of manuscripts an integral activity there through preventive and curative
methods, establishment and upgradation of conservation laboratories in the onboarded institutions,
conducting capacity building programs, workshops and hands-on training etc.
Recently, two-day conservation workshop was successfully concluded at National Research Laboratory
for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from 12th - 13th February,
2026 with participation of more than 40 participants from the institutions onboarded with GBM. Technical
partners have been onboarded for various functions including metadata creation and its integration on
National Digital Repository (NDR), deployment of equipments, AI-integrated digital platform and long-
term data storage.
More than 8 lakh digitized manuscripts in different formats such as DVD, HDD, microfilms are available
across the country, out of which, 1.29 lakh manuscripts are accessible, in view mode, to the public on the
Gyan Bharatam Portal.
This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in
a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
*****
M Annadurai
(Release ID: 2243787) Visitor Counter : 136
Read this release in: Urdu , ही