Gyan Bharatam Mission: Manuscript Clusters and Partner Institutions
UPSC / SSC current affairs note
Why in news
The Ministry of Culture informed Lok Sabha about the progress of the Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), including the establishment of manuscript clusters and partner institutions across India. The mission has surveyed over 1.19 crore manuscripts and made 3.9 lakh available online. Budget allocations have increased significantly from Rs 3.5 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 60 crore in 2026-27.
Background
Gyan Bharatam Mission is a pan-India initiative for listing, conservation, digitization, and publication of manuscripts, irrespective of script, language, dialect, tradition, community, or geographical location. It operates through a network of Cluster Centres (CC) and Independent Centres (IC) selected based on manuscript holdings, institutional capacity, and regional representation.
Key facts
Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM) aims to identify, document, conserve, digitize, research, publish, and disseminate India's manuscript heritage.
A nationwide network of Cluster Centres (CC) and Independent Centres (IC) has been established for effective implementation.
Centres are selected based on manuscript collection size, institutional capacity, qualified human resources, infrastructure, regional representation, and experience.
A national manuscript survey was launched in March 2026; over 1.19 crore manuscripts have been identified so far.
Total digitized manuscripts across India exceed 8 lakh; over 3.9 lakh are publicly available on the Gyan Bharatam portal.
Budget allocation: Rs 3.50 crore (2024-25), Rs 15.00 crore (2025-26), Rs 60.00 crore (2026-27). Actual expenditure: Rs 2.63 crore, Rs 14.25 crore, and Rs 4.48 crore respectively.
Financial assistance is provided as grants to centres for initiating manuscript-related activities.
The list of included CC/IC covers states like Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, and Telangana.
Prelims pointers
- Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM) - Ministry of Culture
- Cluster Centres (CC) and Independent Centres (IC)
- National Manuscript Survey launched March 2026
- Over 1.19 crore manuscripts identified; 3.9 lakh on portal
- Budget: 2024-25: Rs 3.5 cr; 2025-26: Rs 15 cr; 2026-27: Rs 60 cr
- Key institutions: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (Pune), Nav Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda), Central Sanskrit University (Delhi), etc.
Mains angles
- Discuss the significance of manuscript conservation for India's cultural heritage and knowledge systems.
- Examine the role of digital initiatives like Gyan Bharatam in preserving and disseminating traditional knowledge.
- Analyze the challenges in manuscript conservation: funding, infrastructure, regional disparities, and digitization standards.