Govt signs MoUs with 17 institutions to expand work under 'Gyan Bharatam'

The culture ministry on Saturday signed agreements with 17 institutions across the country to "speed up" work on the conservation and digitisation of the country's manuscript heritage under the Gyan Bharatam Mission.

The MoUs were exchanged with these institutions in the presence of Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat at a ceremony held at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) here, according to an official statement.

Twelve of these institutions, including the Department of Persian Studies at the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, and Asiatic Society, Kolkata, have joined under the category of 'cluster', while five others, including Nagari Pracharni Sabha, Varanasi, have signed pacts as 'independent centres', it said.

Shekhawat, in his address, said it was not just "another singing ceremony", rather a step towards "expanding the family" of the ministry, which has taken up this key mission.

The event took place over a month after the three-day global conference on India's manuscripts was held at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"At the Gyan Bharatam Conference, I had said that this mission will work as a bridge between our heritage and the future. By 2047, India will become capable economically, militarily, but the glorious India that it will become, in its making, cultural heritage, and particularly manuscripts heritage will play a significant role," Shekhawat said.

The Union minister emphasised that the signing of the MoUs marks the translation of the vision under the Gyan Bharatam Mission into "actions on the ground".

This event is a proclamation of the coming to life of the vision of 'Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi', the augmentation of knowledge and its conservation, and the cultural renaissance of India, he said.

Union Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal, in his address, said the signing of the pacts with the institutions is a process to "speed up work" under the Gyan Bharatam Mission.

He said the government has engaged a "big agency" for carrying out digitisation work, and "arrangements for funding are also being made".

On September 10, at a press conference in Delhi, Aggarwal had said the purpose of the conference was to build "an alliance of all custodians of manuscripts".

More than 1,100 participants from across the country attended the conference held from September 11-13. Other institutions under the 'cluster' category that have signed pacts with the ministry include Himachal State Museum in Shimla; Central Institute of Buddhist Studies in Leh; Assam University in Silchar; and Nav Nalanda Mahavira in Nalanda.

A 'dastangoi' -- traditional storytelling act -- performance on the life and legacy of Sant Kabir was also hosted on the occasion.