A parliamentary committee has urged the government to accelerate the digitization of India's manuscripts and implement uniform scanning standards for old and damaged texts, while also pushing for greater integration of artificial intelligence to improve searchability and research accessibility. The Gyan Bharatam Mission, tasked with digitizing one crore manuscripts by 2031, is currently behind schedule, necessitating "force multipliers" like large-scale citizen participation, standardized capture protocols, and AI-driven assistance to overcome bottlenecks. The committee's report outlines the vast number of manuscripts requiring digitization and the critical need to move beyond merely making content available online to ensuring its practical usability through transcription and conversion into machine-readable formats. A detailed 12-point program has been proposed, encompassing digitization, transcription, research, access, and preservation, featuring innovative solutions such as a citizen transcription platform and advanced imaging techniques for fragile or damaged manuscripts. Additionally, the committee suggests linking India's cultural heritage map with national infrastructure plans and developing systems for disaster preparedness and protection of cultural assets.

A parliamentary committee has urged the government to accelerate the digitization of India's manuscripts and implement uniform scanning standards for old and damaged texts, while also pushing for greater integration of artificial intelligence to improve searchability and research accessibility. The Gyan Bharatam Mission, tasked with digitizing one crore manuscripts by 2031, is currently behind schedule, necessitating "force multipliers" like large-scale citizen participation, standardized capture protocols, and AI-driven assistance to overcome bottlenecks. The committee's report outlines the vast number of manuscripts requiring digitization and the critical need to move beyond merely making content available online to ensuring its practical usability through transcription and conversion into machine-readable formats. A detailed 12-point program has been proposed, encompassing digitization, transcription, research, access, and preservation, featuring innovative solutions such as a citizen transcription platform and advanced imaging techniques for fragile or damaged manuscripts. Additionally, the committee suggests linking India's cultural heritage map with national infrastructure plans and developing systems for disaster preparedness and protection of cultural assets.

A parliamentary committee has urged the government to accelerate the digitization of India's manuscripts and implement uniform scanning standards for old and damaged texts, while also pushing for greater integration of artificial intelligence to improve searchability and research accessibility. The Gyan Bharatam Mission, tasked with digitizing one crore manuscripts by 2031, is currently behind schedule, necessitating "force multipliers" like large-scale citizen participation, standardized capture protocols, and AI-driven assistance to overcome bottlenecks. The committee's report outlines the vast number of manuscripts requiring digitization and the critical need to move beyond merely making content available online to ensuring its practical usability through transcription and conversion into machine-readable formats. A detailed 12-point program has been proposed, encompassing digitization, transcription, research, access, and preservation, featuring innovative solutions such as a citizen transcription platform and advanced imaging techniques for fragile or damaged manuscripts. Additionally, the committee suggests linking India's cultural heritage map with national infrastructure plans and developing systems for disaster preparedness and protection of cultural assets.

A parliamentary committee has asked the government to speed up the digitisation of India's manuscripts and set common standards for scanning old and damaged texts. It has also called for greater use of artificial intelligence to make the material searchable and useful for research.

The Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, said in its report, ‘From Manuscript to Mission: Preserving, Mapping and Sustaining India's Cultural Heritage in the Age of Artificial Intelligence’, that the Gyan Bharatam Mission needed "force multipliers" to meet ambitious targets.   "Citizen participation at national scale, capture standards that avoid rework, and machine assistance directed at the narrowest bottlenecks are those multipliers."

The mission was announced in the 2025-26 Budget with an allocation of ₹491.66 crore for 2025-31, with an aim to digitise one crore manuscripts in five years. Its immediate target is to digitise 20 lakh manuscripts by March 2027.

However, about eight lakh manuscripts have been digitised so far. The committee calculated that around 33,000 manuscripts are being processed each month, while about 1.5 lakh a month would be needed to meet the March 2027 target.

A national survey conducted between March and June this year recorded 2.25 crore manuscripts. Of these, 1.16 crore have been verified and entered into the national database, along with their geographic locations.

More than 3.9 lakh manuscripts are now available on the government portal, up from 76,000 when the committee began examining the programme.

However, only about 250 manuscripts had completed the full process of digitisation, transcription and conversion into machine-readable and conversational formats. The committee said this showed the gap between putting manuscripts online and making their contents usable.

The committee said the need to preserve manuscripts goes beyond historical interest. It cited the Bakhshali folios, which contain the oldest known written zero, the Bower manuscript's medical material, the Gilgit manuscripts and the mathematical work of the Kerala school. It also referred to the decipherment of Brahmi, which helped establish the history of Emperor Ashoka.

Stressing the need for digitising the manuscripts, the panel noted that India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library has also helped challenge foreign patent claims involving turmeric and neem.

It has proposed a 12-point programme covering digitisation, transcription, research, access and preservation.

The committee has called for a National Capture Standard before large-scale digitisation contracts are expanded. It has proposed the use of multispectral imaging for damaged manuscripts and better methods for recording palm-leaf and other fragile texts.


It has also recommended a national challenge to develop technology for reading manuscripts that have been fused or damaged by fire and cannot be physically opened.

The committee has proposed a citizen transcription platform, tentatively called Akshar Mitra, where people can help transcribe manuscripts. The work would be checked, and contributors would receive permanent credit.

It has also recommended that images and transcriptions produced with public funding be made available as an open training library for AI systems. For collections that cannot be moved outside the institutions holding them, it has suggested allowing AI models to learn from the material without transferring the original images.

The committee wants a searchable index of people, places and works mentioned in manuscripts. It has also suggested extracting astronomical and weather observations from the texts for scientific and climate research.

It has proposed efforts to reconnect manuscripts held in institutions in India and abroad. The culture ministry has identified relevant collections in 54 institutions across 23 countries. The committee has suggested exchanging digital copies, digitally reconstructing scattered manuscripts and seeking the return of originals where possible.

The report also calls for greater protection of oral traditions and traditional skills. It has suggested recording endangered languages and oral traditions, developing digital tools for poorly supported Indian scripts and making three-dimensional recordings of traditional craft techniques.

The committee wants India's cultural map to be linked with the PM Gati Shakti master plan and tourism circuits. It has also proposed a digital system to establish the authenticity of traditional artisan products.

It has called for a national system to identify cultural material at risk and prepare plans for its protection during disasters. It has also suggested long-term digital preservation using film and glass storage.

Funding for manuscript digitisation has risen from ₹3.5 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 60 crore in 2026-27. The ministry told the committee that handwritten text recognition for Indian scripts has reached 90-91 per cent accuracy after corrections by scholars.

The committee said that while most of its recommendations could be implemented within the existing allocation, it identified three areas that would require additional funding: a master-artisan programme, a deep digital archive and the proposed citizen transcription platform.