National Mission for Manuscript

Context

The Union Ministry of Culture is planning to “revive and relaunch” the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) and is considering establishing an autonomous body dedicated to preserving India’s ancient manuscripts and texts.
Presently, NMM is a part of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. The new body, likely to be named the National Manuscripts Authority, will be an autonomous entity under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

About National Mission for Manuscript (NMM)

It was established in 2003, by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (GOI).
Objectives:
- Locate manuscripts through a national-level survey and post-survey.
- Document each and every manuscript and manuscript repository, for a National Electronic Database.
  - It currently contains information on 4 million manuscripts making this the largest database on Indian manuscripts in the world.
- Conserve manuscripts incorporating both modern and indigenous methods of conservation and training a new generation of manuscript conservators.
- To train the next generation of scholars in various aspects of Manuscript Studies.
To achieve this mandate, the mission has established more than 100 Manuscripts Resource Centres and Manuscripts Conservation Centres all over India.

What is a Manuscript?

It is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf or any other material dating back at least 75 years that has significant scientific, historical or aesthetic value.
Lithographs and printed volumes are not manuscripts.
- A lithograph is a print made using the lithography printing process, which involves drawing an image onto a stone or metal plate and then transferring it to paper.