Mangaluru: Repositories preserving manuscripts in Tulu, Kannada and Sanskrit have been identified in Dakshina Kannada under the Union government’s Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.Responding to an unstarred question raised by Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta, Union culture and tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the repositories were identified during the National Manuscript Survey launched in March 2026.Eligible repositories will be considered for digitisation based on physical verification, institutional readiness and availability of resources. The process will involve prescribed agreements, metadata creation, quality assessment and compliance with the mission’s operational guidelines, the minister said.However, the National Archives of India has informed the ministry that there has been no development concerning a review of the digitisation of archives in the district.The Centre has allocated Rs 60 crore to the Gyan Bharatam Mission for the current financial year, of which Rs 4.5 crore has been utilised so far. The mission provides project-based financial assistance to institutions holding manuscript collections for their identification, documentation, conservation and digitisation. It also supports publication of manuscript-based research and capacity-building programmes in manuscriptology, conservation and digitisation.Financial assistance will be considered based on proposals submitted by institutions and their appraisal under the mission’s guidelines.Conservation measures will be determined by the physical condition and specific requirements of manuscripts. The Centre has also engaged state governments and Union territory administrations to coordinate efforts and ensure wider documentation of the country’s manuscript heritage.Technical assistance will be provided through designated technology partners for metadata creation, integration with the National Digital Repository, deployment of equipment, an AI-integrated digital platform and long-term data storage.Proposals from eligible institutions will be considered individually, depending on operational requirements and the availability of funds. Implementation will subsequently be taken up in phases under agreed terms and conditions, the ministry said.
