It will help in digitizing India's manuscript heritage, making them easier to access and helping preserve cultural knowledge.
- In the Union Budget 2025-26, Gyan Bharatam Mission was announced for the survey, documentation, and conservation of India's manuscript heritage.
About Manuscript
- It is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf or any other material dating back at least seventy-five years that has significant scientific, historical or aesthetic value.
- Lithographs (A technique involving drawing on a stone and then transferring the image to paper) and printed volumes are not manuscripts.
- India possesses 'memory of the world' with an estimated 10 million manuscripts in 80 ancient scripts like Brahmi, Kushan, Gaudi, Lepcha, and Maithili.
- Of these, ~75% are in Sanskrit and 25% are in regional languages.
- Significance
- Provide evidence of human activities.
- Show devotion of ancestors to knowledge, science & learning despite centuries of destruction.
- Provides knowledge on different aspects of society like cultural, political, economic, etc. Example- Kautilya’s Arthashastra.
Other Initiatives for Manuscript Conservation
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