Archive · 2 Aug 2026
India Reports 1.2 Crore Manuscripts in Gyan Bharatam Drive
India has a huge collection of old books and manuscripts that tell us about its history and culture.
The government started a project called Gyan Bharatam to find, protect, and make digital copies of these books.
On July 31, the Culture Minister said that more than 12 million manuscripts have been found so far.
A big workshop in New Delhi brought together people from all over the country to plan how to keep working on this project.
They also talked about using computers and AI to help with the digitisation and making sure everyone follows the same rules.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced that over 1.2 crore manuscripts have been reported under the Gyan Bharatam initiative.
The initiative, launched in the 2025‑26 Union Budget, aims to document, conserve, and digitise India’s manuscript heritage across all states and union territories.
A National Digitisation Drive Workshop at The Ashok highlighted progress, set targets, and developed a unified, standards‑driven framework for digitisation.
The ministry emphasised simultaneous conservation and digitisation, providing funding for infrastructure, equipment, and trained manpower.
AI platforms and a structured access policy are part of the emerging National Digital Manuscript Ecosystem.
- Who
- Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
- What
- Announced that over 1.2 crore manuscripts have been reported under the Gyan Bharatam initiative
- When
- July 31, 2024
- Where
- New Delhi, India, at the National Digitisation Drive Workshop
- Why
- To document, conserve, and digitise India’s manuscript heritage and preserve knowledge systems
- Initiative
- Gyan Bharatam
- Reported manuscripts
- 1.2 crore
- Survey start date
- March 16, 2024
- Ministry
- Ministry of Culture, Government of India
- Workshop venue
- The Ashok, New Delhi
- AI integration
- Yes, part of the National Digital Manuscript Ecosystem