Ministry of Culture Digital Transformation Initiatives
The Ministry of Culture is implementing comprehensive digital archiving and collection management initiatives to preserve India's cultural assets through systematic digitization efforts. The primary software platform for this digitization is JATAN, developed by C-DAC, Pune, which facilitates the digitization of museum collections and archival resources across multiple institutions.
National Digital Repository Status
A national digital repository has been established through the Museums of India portal, hosting digitized collections from eight National Level Museums, two ASI Site Museums, and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Museum, Pune. According to Annexure-I data, the total digitization effort encompasses 478,971 artefacts across these institutions, with 336,359 records (70.23%) currently available online. The completion rates vary by institution: National Museum has digitized 105,452 of 206,169 artefacts (51.15%), Indian Museum has 77,943 of 108,000 (72.17%), Victoria Memorial Hall achieved 27,922 of 28,394 (98.34%), Salar Jung Museum completed 47,504 of 48,367 (98.22%), Allahabad Museum reached 62,988 of 70,121 (89.83%), NGMA New Delhi has 12,555 of 15,929 (78.82%), while NGMA Mumbai and NGMA Bengaluru have achieved 100% completion with 1,461 of 1,457 and 534 of 534 artefacts respectively.
Specialized Digital Initiatives
The Gyan Bharatam Mission, launched under the Ministry, focuses on safeguarding India's manuscript heritage, with over 350,000 digitized manuscripts currently available on the Gyan Bharatam portal for public access. The National Archives of India maintains the 'Abhilekh Patal' portal for digitized archival records, providing access to researchers and the general public. Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), Kolkata, developed a National Science & Technology Digital Archive containing papers, letters, and manuscripts of eminent Indian scientists, launched on December 5, 2024.
Technology Integration and Innovation
The National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is at the forefront of research and development in museum display technologies, integrating cutting-edge technologies including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, and sensor-based interaction. NCSM's R&D focuses on motion tracking, eye-tracking, smart content adaptation, and touchless interaction to enhance visitor engagement. Indian Museum, Kolkata has collaborated with IIT Kharagpur for AI-based restoration of archaeological artefacts for digital preservation. The museum has also partnered with Google Art & Culture to create virtual exhibitions and introduced AI-based interactives and AR-based visitor engagement tools.
Institutional Network and Modernization
NCSM operates 26 science museums/centers across India, as detailed in Annexure-II, located in West Bengal (6 units), Odisha (3), Karnataka (2), Maharashtra (2), and single units in Bihar, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh. Under the Scheme for Promotion of Culture of Science (SPoCS), NCSM has modernized/upgraded six Science Centres: Ranchi Science Centre (Jharkhand), Sukanta Academy of Arts, Science & Culture (Tripura), Nagaland Science Centre (Dimapur), Shillong Science Centre (Meghalaya), Mizoram Science Centre (Aizawl), and Manipur Science Centre (Manipur).
Additional Digital Access Initiatives
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has launched mobile applications for Archaeological Museums at Hampi (Karnataka) and Nalanda (Bihar) providing virtual tours and digital access to artefacts. Digital documentation of 723 antiquities from ASI Museum, Goa and 8,450 antiquities from ASI Museum, Nagarjunakonda has been completed and uploaded to JATAN software. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) maintains comprehensive digital archives covering manuscripts, photographs, rare books, audio-visual recordings, and cultural documentation, with specific focus on Mithila art traditions. The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) organizes educational visits to cultural institutions including National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art, National Crafts Museum, and heritage monuments across India.