National Mission for Manuscripts and National Culture Fund

• 29 Jul 2024

Source: PIB

Why in News?

Recently the Ministry of Culture and Tourism shed light on the achievements made in the National Mission for Manuscripts and National Culture Fund.

What are the National Mission for Manuscripts?

• About:
  • The National Mission for Manuscripts was established in 2003, by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. 
• Objective:
  • The key objectives of the National Mission for Manuscripts are documentation, conservation, digitization, and online dissemination of the manuscript heritage of India. 
    • To achieve this mandate, the mission has established more than 100 Manuscripts Resource Centres and Manuscripts Conservation Centres all over India.
  • India possesses an estimated ten million manuscripts, probably the largest collection in the world. These cover a variety of themes, textures and aesthetics, scripts, languages, calligraphies, illuminations, and illustrations.
• Manuscript:
  
  • A manuscript is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf, or any other material dating back at least seventy-five years that has significant scientific, historical, or aesthetic value. 
    • Manuscripts differ from historical records like epigraphs, firmans, and revenue records, as they primarily contain knowledge content rather than direct historical information.
    • Manuscripts are found in hundreds of different languages and scripts. 

Note

The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" any structure, erection or monument, or any tumulus or place of interment, or any cave,rock-sculpture, inscription or monolith which is of historical, archaeological or artistic interest and which has been in existence for not less than 100 years.

What is the National Culture Fund?

• About:
  • The government set up the National Culture Fund (NCF) as a Trust in 1996 under the Charitable Endowment Act, 1890 to mobilise extra resources through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) towards promoting, protecting, and preserving India’s cultural heritage. 
  • It serves as a financing mechanism for enabling donor/sponsor institutions to support the Protection, Restoration, Conservation, and Development of India’s rich tangible and intangible culture and heritage (Monuments/Cultural Traditions) directly as partners with the Government.
• Objectives:
  • For the training and development of a cadre of specialists and cultural administrators.
  • Provide additional space in existing museums & construct new museums to accommodate or create new & special galleries.
  • Documentation of cultural expressions and forms that have lost their relevance in contemporary scenarios and are either fading out or facing extinction.
• Features of NCF:
  • NCF provides a dependable and innovative platform for partnerships in the fields of heritage, culture, and the arts.
  • The projects are overseen by a Project Implementation Committee (PIC) that has representatives from the Donor, Implementer, and NCF. 
    • The accounts of NCF are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India annually.
• Members:
  • NCF is managed by a Council Chaired by Minister of Culture) and an Executive Committee (chaired by Secretary).

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims:

Q. Who among the following Mughal Emperors shifted emphasis from illustrated manuscripts to album and individual portrait? (2019)

(a) Humayun 

(b) Akbar

(c) Jahangir 

(d) Shah Jahan

Ans: (c)

Q. Recently, the manuscripts of which one of the following have been included in the UNESCO’s Memory of World Register? (2008)

(a) Abhidhamma Pitaka 

(b) Mahabharata

(c) Ramayana 

(d) Rig-Veda

Ans: (d)

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Mains:

Q. Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss. (2018)