New ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ for Manuscripts Announced in Union Budget 2025-26

New ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ for Manuscripts Announced in Union Budget 2025-26

The Union Budget for 2025-26 introduces the Gyan Bharatam Mission, aimed at preserving and safeguarding manuscripts found across India.

About Gyan Bharatam Mission
Objective: The mission will focus on the survey, documentation, and conservation of over one crore manuscripts housed in academic institutions, museums, libraries, and other repositories.
Significance of the Mission:

• It aims to preserve the historical value of these manuscripts.
• Unveil ancient Indian knowledge to the world.
• Ensure the longevity of manuscripts and provide round-the-clock access to them.
  To support the mission, the budget allocation for the National Manuscripts Mission (NMM) has been increased from Rs. 3.5 crore to Rs. 60 crore.

What are Manuscripts?

Manuscripts are handwritten works on materials such as paper, bark, palm leaves, etc., that are at least 75 years old and hold significant scientific, historical, or aesthetic value.
For example, the Bakhshali manuscript (dated to the 3rd or 4th century A.D.), an ancient Indian mathematical text written on birch bark, is considered one of the earliest records of the use of zero.
It is important to note that lithographs (drawings on stone transferred to paper) and printed volumes are not considered manuscripts.

Manuscripts can cover various themes, including history, religion, literature, astrology, and agricultural practices.
India is estimated to possess around 10 million manuscripts in 80 ancient scripts such as Brahmi, Kushan, Gaudi, Lepcha, and Maithili. Of these, 75% are in Sanskrit, and 25% are in regional languages.

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