Ministry of Culture signs MoU with Bibliothèque nationale de France on Manuscript Heritage Preservation
On 26 October 2026 in Paris, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in preserving, digitising, researching, and disseminating manuscript and documentary heritage.
The agreement was signed by:
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Shri Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India
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Mr. Gilles Pécout, President, Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
Key Areas of Cooperation
The partnership brings together:
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Gyan Bharatam Mission
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National Archives of India, New Delhi
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National Library, Kolkata
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Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)
The MoU establishes collaboration across five major areas:
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Digitisation
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Cross-sharing through the National Digital Repository
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Technology Exchange
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Conservation and Preservation
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Research and Development
Focus on Indic Manuscripts
A major objective of the partnership is to:
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Identify Indian-origin manuscripts and collections held by BnF.
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Digitise these materials for preservation and scholarly access.
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Enhance the documentation of India's cultural and intellectual heritage preserved overseas.
Knowledge and Technology Exchange
The agreement provides for cooperation in:
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Digitisation and preservation technologies
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Cataloguing and metadata standards
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OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and HTR (Handwritten Text Recognition) tools for Indian scripts
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Digital humanities research
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Manuscript conservation techniques
Academic and Cultural Collaboration
The MoU also envisages:
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Joint workshops and training programmes
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Capacity-building initiatives
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Collaborative research projects
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Scholarly publications
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Exhibitions
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Exchange of scholars, researchers, and experts
About Gyan Bharatam Mission
Gyan Bharatam Mission is the Ministry of Culture's flagship programme dedicated to:
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Identification of manuscripts
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Documentation
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Conservation
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Digitisation
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Translation
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Research
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Dissemination of India's manuscript heritage
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Its proposed National Digital Repository aims to serve as a secure platform for Indian-origin manuscripts and Indian Knowledge Systems located both within India and abroad, enabling structured and permission-based access for research and academic study.
Significance
The partnership represents an important step in strengthening cultural cooperation between India and France. By combining archival expertise, digital technologies, and research capabilities, the initiative seeks to preserve valuable historical knowledge while making it more accessible to scholars and future generations worldwide.
The India-France MoU under the Gyan Bharatam Mission will accelerate the digitisation and preservation of Indian-origin manuscripts held in France, promote technological and scholarly collaboration, and enhance global access to India's documentary heritage.
