Latest news with #GyanBharatamMission
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- New Indian Express
Culture ministry mulls app to make ancient manuscripts available online
NEW DELHI: In a major step towards preserving India's ancient knowledge systems, the Ministry of Culture will soon roll out a mobile application and web portal offering public access to digitised versions of rare and historical manuscripts under the 'Gyan Bharatam Mission'. The upcoming app—available on Android and iOS platforms—will provide researchers, historians, and enthusiasts access to centuries-old manuscripts directly on their smartphones. Officials confirmed that the app will also include interactive tutorials, real-time document translation, mobile search optimisation, and a secure payment gateway for premium services and subscriptions. 'Access to digital PDF content will be provided through mobile apps that are currently under development,' a senior ministry official said. A dedicated online portal is also being created to support broader access on desktops and other devices. Launched as an ambitious national initiative, the Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to digitise, preserve, and democratise access to India's vast and diverse manuscript heritage. The ministry has already begun work on digitising nearly 50 crore pages of rare documents written on materials such as palm leaves, birch bark, paper, and cloth.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
India to host international manuscript heritage conference in September
India will host the first-ever international Manuscript Heritage Conference in September, which will be attended by global scholars, thought leaders and cultural custodians in the subject. The three-day conference, titled 'Reclaiming India's Knowledge Legacy Through Manuscript Heritage', is being organised from September 11-13 in the national capital as part of the launch of the 'Gyan Bharatam Mission'. The conference will also commemorate Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address (September 11, 1893), symbolising India's intellectual and spiritual global vision, official sources said. The Centre had announced the 'Gyan Bharatam Mission' (GBM) in the Union Budget 2025–26, for reviving and expanding the vision of the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) launched in 2003. The GBM seeks to preserve, digitise, and disseminate manuscript knowledge, integrate it with modern technologies, and foster a new generation of scholars and institutions to carry the legacy forward. The conference will be graced by various eminent dignitaries of India, and will feature keynotes and participation by global scholars, thought leaders, and cultural custodians. There will also be numerous side events like an exhibition on Indian Manuscripts and Script Heritage, an exhibition of manuscripts inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World, live demonstrations of conservation and digitisation tools, along with hands-on workshops and a special space for startups in the field. The Union Culture Ministry has also invited original research papers, case studies, and conceptual frameworks to be presented on themes like, Conservation and Restoration of Manuscripts, Survey, Documentation, and Metadata Standards, Digitisation Tools, Platforms, and Protocols (HTR, AI, IIIF), Paleography, Codicology, and Script Training Initiatives and Legal and Ethical Aspects of Manuscript Custodianship. India possesses one of the richest manuscript heritages in the world, with an estimated 10 million ancient manuscripts. These span subjects like philosophy, science, medicine, literature, Vedic rituals, mathematics, astrology, vāstu, Sanskriti, and Indian arts and darśana — often in multiple scripts and languages and housed in institutions like temples, mathas, monasteries, Jaina Bhandāras, archives, libraries, and private collections, according to the Brochure for the event.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Govt to train students in art of manuscript preservation
Panaji: Merging academic learning with heritage conservation, the state directorate of archives will soon launch an initiative to train history students in manuscriptology and palaeography to preserve the state's centuries-old documentary heritage. 'Spanning pre-Portuguese, Portuguese, and post-Liberation eras, the archives house a wealth of documents in diverse scripts and languages — from ancient Devanagari and Modi to Portuguese and Roman scripts — making it fertile ground for this initiative. The initiative will not only help conserve Goa's manuscript wealth, but also offer practical skill-building opportunities to students,' an archives official told TOI . As part of the National Education Policy (NEP), internships are now mandatory in college curricula, and the state archives department is turning this academic requirement into a unique opportunity for history students in Goa. The plan is to start the orientation and training of students by mid-Aug in this academic year. 'The department will equip students with these skills before involving them in real-time documentation and conservation efforts,' the official said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like See How Much You Can Save on Car Insurance Search7 Learn More Undo 'The initiative is linked to the Gyan Bharatam Mission, part of the Union culture ministry's National Mission for Manuscripts, which aims to preserve and digitise India's rich manuscript heritage. To facilitate this, state govt has already approved the establishment of the Goa State Mission for Manuscripts,' the official said. Under this mission, the archives department will launch an extensive statewide survey to identify manuscripts — some of which may be with private collectors and religious institutions across Goa. Once documented, these manuscripts will be conserved and digitised to make them accessible to future generations. TOI reported on June 18 that under this initiative, the department expects to find literary treasures such as correspondence that was once exchanged between neighbouring kings, freedom fighters, and texts that capture the essence of Goan life through the centuries.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Archives dept to launch survey to find hidden manuscripts, digitise them
Panaji: To rediscover Goa's hidden manuscripts and literature of historical value, a statewide survey is being launched under the Gyan Bharatam Mission. The department of archives will soon identify and catalogue manuscripts held by private collectors, families, and institutions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'Govt approval has been taken on paper for the creation of the Goa State Mission for Manuscripts at Altinho. We will officially start administrative work from July 1 onwards,' said an official from the archives department. 'This year, we aim to complete the pilot study in this task. We appeal to the public to cooperate with us in this mission,' he added. The department expects to find literary treasures such as correspondence that once passed between neighbouring kings, letters exchanged with freedom fighters, and texts that capture the essence of Goan life through the centuries. 'Such literature needs to be documented. We don't know where they are or with whom they are, so this information needs to be collected. With the owners' consent, the records will be documented and catalogued. ' The department of archives is set to begin its meticulous journey through libraries, churches, temples, and then venture into the homes of prominent families — the royalty, aristocracy, and descendants of freedom fighters — in its quest to locate and document these manuscripts. The mission, however, honours the rights of custodians to retain their treasures. 'Manuscript holders, who wish to keep these delicate papers within their families or organisations, may do so. The department will merely create a detailed catalogue, registering the whereabouts and histories of these priceless documents. This will enable future generations of researchers to access this trove of knowledge seamlessly,' the official said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now TOI reported in March that chief minister Pramod Sawant announced in the Goa Budget 2025 to preserve handwritten scripts and digitise them by creating a special wing in the archives department. Sawant also said in his speech that the Goa State Mission for Manuscripts will be established to use advanced technology to preserve the ancient and historical manuscripts. State govt notified the same in May. 'The Goa State Mission for Manuscript shall serve as a centralised repository of the historical manuscripts and will strive for its documentation, preservation, and digitisation for posterity,' the notification read.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Modi 3.0 turns one next month: BJP gears up with padyatras, nationwide outreach
Modi 3.0 turns one next month: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning a mega public outreach programme to celebrate the first year of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third term next month. The events to commemorate the occasion will include public meetings by the prime minister and 'padyatras' by the saffron party that has been in power under Modi's leadership since 2014. The BJP has formed a panel workers and ministers to finalise the programme, NDTV reported. The union ministers will be taking out 'padyatras' of about 20 kilometers for two days of every week in their parliamentary constituencies. BJP leaders are also expected to join the 'padyatras'. Modi completes 11 years of leadership since being sworn in as Prime Minister for the first time in May 2014. The PM and other BJP leaders will tell the people of the country about the government's welfare schemes and the success of Operation Sindoor - a targeted military strike on terror infrastructures in Pakistan, apart from big policy decisions. PM Modi, the report said, will launch the Gyan Bharatam Mission on June 9 - an initiative to digitise, conserve, and make accessible over one crore manuscripts scattered across the country. The NDA won 293 in the 543-member Lok Sabha in 2024 general elections. The BJP won 240 seats. The opposition INDIA bloc got 234 seats, including the Congress party's 99 seats. PM Modi was sworn in as the Prime Minister for the third time on June 9, 2024, following BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Before becoming PM in 2014, Modi has been the longest-serving Chief Minister of Gujarat from October 2001 to May 2014. The PM and other BJP leaders will tell the people of the country about the government's welfare schemes and the success of Operation Sindoor. The BJP-led NDA surpassed the majority threshold of 272 and won 293 seats. However, unlike the previous election, the BJP did not win a majority inLoK Sabha having only won 240 seats losing 63 seats from the 303 seats they previously held since 2019.
