Haryana has recorded significant progress under the Gyan Bharatam Mission by uploading a total of 27,587 manuscripts, marking a major step towards preserving the state's rich documentary and intellectual heritage. Haryana Chief Secretary Sh. Anurag Rastogi reviewed the progress of the National Manuscript Survey and directed departments to further accelerate outreach and documentation efforts across the state.
During the review meeting, the Chief Secretary assessed the ongoing implementation of the survey across districts and emphasized the need for coordinated efforts among government departments, educational institutions and district administrations to ensure comprehensive documentation of valuable manuscripts available across Haryana.
Sh. Rastogi stressed that preservation of manuscripts is not merely an archival exercise but an important initiative aimed at safeguarding centuries-old knowledge, traditions and cultural values for future generations. He underlined that such efforts would help preserve India's rich intellectual heritage and strengthen its accessibility for researchers and scholars.
The review highlighted that the Department of Archives, Haryana, has been designated as the State Nodal Department for implementation of the National Manuscript Survey, while a State-Level Standing Committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary has been constituted for effective monitoring and execution of the initiative. District-level committees and nodal officers have also been appointed across the state to facilitate smooth implementation of the survey process.
Commissioner & Secretary, Archives Department, Dr. Saket Kumar informed that continuous monitoring and district-level coordination are being undertaken to ensure timely progress of the survey. The initiative is expected to create a comprehensive digital repository that will significantly contribute towards preserving India's knowledge systems and making them accessible to scholars, researchers and future generations worldwide.
Among the districts, Kurukshetra emerged as the top-performing district with 15,818 manuscripts uploaded on the Gyan Bharatam portal so far. The Chief Secretary commended the district administration for its exemplary performance and urged other districts to intensify their efforts to accelerate the survey and documentation process across the state.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed awareness initiatives undertaken by the Department of Archives, including print and social media campaigns aimed at encouraging public participation in identifying and documenting manuscript collections across Haryana. The Gyan Bharatam Mission, launched by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, aims to survey, document, conserve, digitize and disseminate India's manuscript heritage through collaboration with academic institutions, museums, libraries and private collectors.
Director, Archives, Dr. Balpreet Singh, Deputy Director Smt. Manju Yadav, and other senior officers were present in the meeting.