Ministry of Culture has following four Missions.
1. National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities
2. National Mission on Manuscripts
3. National Mission on Libraries
4. Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission
National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA):
NMMA was initially approved for a period of 5 years i.e. 2007 – 2012 in the XI five year plan with the objective to prepare a National database on Built Heritage and sites from secondary sources and a National database on Antiquities from different sources and museums.
To sustain the momentum and to complete the remaining documentation work, the Finance Committee (SFC) recommended its extension as a central scheme with certain modifications (introduction of primary survey of built heritage and sites, strengthening infrastructure etc) under XII five year plan (2012 – 2017) with a budgetary outlay of Rs.99.20 crore in April 2013.
Policy document for documentation of antiquities was formulated by NMMA and the same has been adopted after its approval by the Monitoring Committee and Hon’ble Culture Minister.
Objectives of National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities:
Documentation and creation of suitable database on built heritage and sites for information and dissemination to planners, researchers etc. and for better management of such cultural resources.
Documentation in a uniform format developed by NMMA, of all Antiquities that are available in the form of Registered Antiquities, Catalogued Antiquities with Central as well as State Governments, Private museums and collections, Universities, etc.
Promote awareness and sensitize people concerning the benefits of preserving the historical and cultural aspects of built heritage, sites and antiquities.
Extend training facility and capacity building to the concerned State Departments, Local bodies, NGOs, Universities, Museums, Local communities etc.
Help in developing synergy between institutions like Archaeological Survey of India, State Departments, concerned Institutions and NGOs to generate close interaction.
Publication and Research
Expected Output:
National Register on Built Heritage &Sites
National Register on Antiquities
National Mission on Manuscripts (NMM)
Initially National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was established in 2003 for a period of five years, and subsequently it was given extension twice, the latest one given in 2012. Set up by the Government of India under the Ministry of Culture, the Mission has the mandate of identifying, documenting, conserving and making accessible the manuscript heritage of India.
It is a national effort in the form of a mission for logical, radical and urgent response to a very contemporary challenge – of reclaiming the in heritance contained in manuscripts, often in a poor state of preservation.
India can rightfully claim to be the largest repository of manuscripts in the world. It is not only the largest repository of literary heritage, but is also the forerunner in conservation efforts.
National Mission for Manuscripts is first such national level comprehensive initiative in the world which caters to the need of conserving manuscripts and disseminating knowledge contained therein.
NMM has covered a long distance since its inception in 2003 towards fulfilling its motto, ‘conserving the past for the future’. It works through a network of neary100 centres and 350 sub-centres, spread all over the country.
National Mission on Libraries:
Government of India has taken various initiatives to transform India into a knowledge based society. Public libraries have a major role to play in realizing this goal. In order to revamp the Public Library System & Services, and to provide digital content based services to the citizens at large, the Ministry of Culture has launched the scheme of National Mission on Libraries (NML).
Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation has been declared as the nodal agency for the National Mission on Libraries for administrative, logistic, planning and budgeting purposes.
The Scheme has the following four components:
(i) Creation of National Virtual Library (NVLI),
(ii) Setting up of NML Model Libraries,
(iii) Quantitative & Qualitative Survey,
(iv) Capacity Building for library professionals.
Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission
In April, 2006, Government of India, constituted a Gandhi Heritage Sites (GHS) Panel headed by Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi and, with eminent Gandhians. Based on the recommendation of the Panel the “Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission” with a fixed term of 5 years was created in 2013.
The Mission’s mandate is to preserve for posterity the identified sites and to supervise, guide and assist in conservation initiatives, maintenance or preservation initiatives and the creation of a database of tangible, literary and visual heritage associated with Gandhi.
The Mission Secretariat is headed by a Joint Secretary to Government of India who is ex- officio Secretary to the Mission. The Mission is headquarter at New Delhi and in order to strengthen links with State Governments and to coordinate the implementation of the Mission’s projects, the Zonal Cultural Centers (North, South, East, West and Central Zone) under the Ministry of Culture, are associated with the Mission. The Mission has started functioning from December, 2013 onwards.