New Delhi, Aug 11 (PTI) Since 2003, a total of 3.5 lakh manuscripts have been digitised, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in a written response to a query, also said there are 92 Manuscript Conservation Centres established so far, of which 42 are presently active.
He was asked whether the government proposes to host first-ever international Manuscript Heritage Conference titled “Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy Through Manuscript Heritage” in September 2025 to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address (September 11, 1893) as a part of Gyan Bharatam Mission.
“Yes. The government proposes to host the first-ever international Manuscript Heritage Conference titled ‘Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy Through Manuscript Heritage’ in September 2025.
“This event is planned to commemorate the 132nd Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s historic address at the Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Chicago on September 11, 1893,” the minister said.
The conference aims to bring together scholars, historians, manuscript experts and cultural practitioners from across the world to explore, preserve and promote India’s vast and diverse manuscript heritage, the government said.
Key themes and focus areas of the conference include — Decipherment of Ancient Scripts: Indus, Gilgit and Sankha; Survey, Documentation, Metadata Standards and Digital Archiving; Manuscriptology and Paleography, Codicology; Digitisation Tools, Platforms, and Protocols (HTR, AI, IIIF); Conservation and Restoration of Manuscripts; Decoding Manuscripts: Pathways to the Indian Knowledge System; Manuscripts as Tools of Cultural Diplomacy; and Legal and Ethical Frameworks for Manuscript Preservation and Access, he said.
In his response, the Union culture minister said that since 2003, a total of 3.50 lakh manuscripts have been digitised.
“There are 92 Manuscript Conservation Centres established so far, of which 42 are presently active. Additionally, there are 93 Manuscript Resource Centres, with 37 currently active,” he added. PTI KND RT RT
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