Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the Gyan Bharatam Portal, a national initiative to accelerate the digitisation of India’s manuscripts. The programme, described as a new chapter in cultural preservation, aims to transform ancient knowledge into an accessible resource for research, innovation, and global engagement.
Unveiling the portal, the Prime Minister said that millions of manuscripts were lost in the tides of history, yet India still possesses the world’s largest surviving collection. He noted that around one crore manuscripts are currently in India’s possession, spanning diverse subjects from philosophy and science to art and governance. Their preservation, he said, was both a civilisational duty and a strategic opportunity.
The Prime Minister emphasised that India’s cultural identity cannot be reduced to dynastic accounts of victories and defeats. Instead, it is rooted in a knowledge tradition that has endured from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. This, he said, represents a distinct civilisational consciousness that has remained intact despite changes in geography and political boundaries over centuries.
Pointing out how other nations preserve even a single artefact as a national treasure, he described India’s vast collection of manuscripts as a matter of pride. He urged that these assets must be presented to the world as symbols of civilisational greatness.
At the heart of the Gyan Bharatam Mission are four pillars: preservation, innovation, addition, and adaptation. By combining heritage with modern technology, the initiative seeks to unlock new domains of research and create value chains within the global cultural and creative industry, estimated at $2.5 trillion.
According to the Prime Minister, digitised manuscripts will serve as a vast data bank, driving new areas of academic study and technological application. He highlighted that the integration of Artificial Intelligence could significantly enhance how these manuscripts are studied, interpreted, and presented. AI, he said, can decode complex texts, provide deeper analysis, and help showcase their knowledge to the world in more authentic and impactful ways.
The initiative is expected to open new opportunities for youth, particularly in the technology sector. As digitisation progresses, job avenues in data management, cultural technology, and AI-driven research are likely to expand. The Prime Minister called on students, scholars, and young professionals to actively participate in the mission, positioning it as a national movement aligned with the spirit of Swadeshi and Atmanirbhar Bharat.
He also urged universities and research institutions across the country to take fresh initiatives to support the mission. By integrating digitised manuscripts into academic study, institutions can contribute to innovation while ensuring that knowledge once confined to fragile paper archives becomes accessible to wider audiences.
The Prime Minister stressed that the mission must go beyond symbolic preservation to make knowledge available on evidence-based parameters for humanity at large. He underlined that heritage must be transformed into strength, where cultural legacy fuels contemporary innovation and growth.
The Gyan Bharatam Portal thus carries both symbolic and practical significance. It positions India as a custodian of one of the world’s richest intellectual traditions while simultaneously tapping into modern technology to harness that heritage. For policymakers, it represents a fusion of culture, technology, and industry. For researchers, it opens a reservoir of untapped material. And for the youth, it promises new career paths at the intersection of history and innovation.
As the mission unfolds, India’s manuscripts, long confined to libraries, monasteries, and private collections, may find new life in the digital realm. The launch marks the beginning of what officials describe as a transformative journey, where the past becomes a foundation for the future, and cultural heritage is positioned as an engine of national strength.
