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Prime Minister will launch the revamped National Manuscripts Mission June 9.

Revamped National Manuscripts Mission (NMM)

The NMM was originally established in 2003 under the Ministry of Culture, to identify, document, conserve, and make accessible India’s vast collection of manuscripts.

The manuscripts are handwritten on materials like paper, palm leaves, bark, or cloth, are at least 75 years old and hold immense scientific, historical, and cultural value.

India possesses an estimated 10 million manuscripts, one of the largest collections globally, covering diverse themes like science, medicine, philosophy, and art.

The revamped NMM introduces the Gyan Bharatam Mission, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26. This mission targets the survey, documentation, and conservation manuscripts held by academic institutions, museums, libraries, and private collectors.  

Objectives of the Gyan Bharatam Mission

Nationwide Survey and Documentation => The mission conducts extensive surveys to locate manuscripts across India. It creates a digital record to document these manuscripts systematically.

Conservation and Preservation => Using modern techniques like lamination, restoration, and deacidification, alongside indigenous methods, the mission conserves fragile manuscripts. Trained conservationists and linguists work to restore and preserve the knowledge within these texts.

Digitization for Accessibility => The mission digitizes manuscripts to ensure their longevity and global accessibility. It aims to create a National Digital Repository to store and share India’s traditional knowledge with researchers, students, and the public worldwide.

Public Engagement and Research => The mission promotes manuscript studies by training scholars, organizing workshops, and publishing critical editions of unpublished manuscripts. It also promotes public interest through exhibitions, seminars, and outreach programs.

Global Knowledge Sharing => By making digitized manuscripts accessible online, the mission highlights India’s ancient wisdom in Ayurveda, mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, placing India as a global hub for traditional knowledge systems.  

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Source: 

THE HINDU