GYAN BHARATAM MISSION
It is a national initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was formally launched via a conference on 11–13 September 2025 in New Delhi. The mission builds upon the earlier National Mission for Manuscripts (2003) but with expanded scale, technology and ambition.
Objectives / Focus Areas Survey, document and catalogue India’s manuscripts: The mission aims to locate manuscripts across academic institutions, private collections, libraries, temples and more.
Conservation & preservation of manuscripts: Use scientific methods and build infrastructure (e.g., conservation labs) to protect fragile manuscripts.
Digitisation and creation of a national digital repository: Digitise manuscripts at scale, make them accessible, integrate advanced technologies such as AI, OCR, etc. Research, translation, publication & outreach: Encourage study of manuscripts, translations into useful texts, engage the public and scholarly community.
Technological integration: Use AI/machine learning for transcription, blockchain for provenance, cloud storage, etc. Targets & Funding The mission has a target to digitise and catalogue over 1 crore manuscripts across the country. Implementation / Features Establishment of “Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs)” and “Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs)”.
Use of advanced platforms: AI‐driven hand-written text recognition (HTR), metadata tagging, blockchain for tracking provenance, cloud infrastructure.
Public engagement: Educational modules, immersive VR/AR experiences, outreach campaigns to raise awareness about manuscript heritage.
Partnerships: Collaboration with academic institutions, libraries, private collectors, technology firms to scale up the mission. Significance India holds a large rich heritage of manuscripts in various languages, scripts and materials (palm‐leaf, birch bark, paper) that embody Indian knowledge systems.
By bringing this into digitised, accessible form, the mission aims to preserve this heritage and make it useful for contemporary scholarship and for future generations. Also aligns with broader goals of cultural diplomacy, enabling India to share its intellectual traditions globally via digital platforms.
Organiser Challenges / Considerations Locating manuscripts, especially in private collections, is a major task given the dispersal and condition of holdings.
Many manuscripts may be in fragile condition, in different languages/scripts, requiring specialist conservation and palaeography. Ensuring long‐term digital preservation, metadata standards, and ensuring accessibility through usable platforms. Bringing together adequate skilled manpower (conservators, manuscriptologists, technologists) to match the scale.