Digitise Bharatiya manuscripts and fund manuscript research

The promise was to digitise Bharatiya manuscripts and epigraphs in mission mode and establish a dedicated scholarship programme for research on manuscripts and epigraphs. Gyan Bharatam is directly mapped to the manuscript part because it was announced in Budget 2025-26 to preserve more than one crore manuscripts and the Ministry of Culture later described it as a flagship initiative for unearthing, safeguarding and preserving manuscript heritage. The Standing Finance Committee has sanctioned Rs 491.66 crore for 2025-2031 for survey, registration, technology infrastructure, partnerships, documentation, conservation, digitisation, publication, capacity building and research. This is meaningful delivery on manuscripts, but I did not find equivalent mission-mode evidence for epigraphs or a clearly notified dedicated scholarship programme. Therefore the promise remains partial rather than on_track or fulfilled. Budget: direct allocation evidence exists through the SFC sanction of Rs 491.66 crore for Gyan Bharatam over 2025-2031.