Gyan Bharatam initiative announced in 2025 budget, 8 lakh manuscripts digitized

The MPs asked the Ministry of Culture to explain the objectives, components, and progress of the Gyan Bharatam initiative for manuscript preservation, specifically inquiring about the inclusion of tribal communities and the roadmap for AI-enabled public access.

Asked and answered by: Asked by: Shri Dhaval Laxmanbhai Patel and Shri Rajkumar Chahar; Answered by: Ministry of Culture (Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat).

What the government said

• Gyan Bharatam was announced in the Union Budget on 1st February 2025.
• The Standing Finance Committee sanctioned Rs.491.66 crore for the period 2025-2031.
• Over 8 lakh manuscripts have been digitized across the country.
• 3,53,947 manuscripts are currently available on the Gyan Bharatam portal for public access in view mode.
• The initiative aims to document and preserve more than one crore manuscripts.
• A National Digital Repository (NDR) is being established.
• AI technologies including OCR, HTR, and Large Language Script Models (LLSM) are planned for transliteration, translation, and semantic search.

Also in the document

• The government stated that the initiative is pan-India and its benefits are not restricted to any specific community or region, without explicitly confirming or denying the specific inclusion of the Dhodia, Kokna, and Varli communities mentioned in the question.
• The answer provides a total count of digitized manuscripts (over 8 lakh) and a specific count on the portal (3,53,947), but does not provide a breakdown of progress specifically for tribal knowledge traditions.