Raipur, April 11: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has called upon the people of Chhattisgarh to actively participate in preserving the state’s cultural heritage, describing manuscripts as a living record of Indian civilisation and intellectual wealth.
Speaking on the ongoing ‘Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey’, the Chief Minister termed the initiative a crucial step towards identifying, preserving, and digitising ancient texts across the country. He noted that protecting these records for future generations remains a shared responsibility.
The Chief Minister appealed to citizens to register details of any handwritten texts or palm-leaf manuscripts in their possession via the Gyan Bharatam mobile app. He emphasised that even small individual efforts would play a meaningful role in protecting the state’s cultural identity.
“Public participation will help bring wider recognition to Chhattisgarh’s knowledge traditions,” CM Sai said, urging residents to take pride in their roots and become active participants in the national campaign.
Launched in March 2026, the ‘Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey’ aims to document and preserve rare manuscripts to make them accessible through digital platforms. The Union Government had initially shared information on 148 manuscripts within the state to kickstart the process.
Chhattisgarh has intensified the survey with district-level committees already formed in 26 out of 33 districts. Nodal officers have been appointed, and the process to establish committees in the remaining seven districts is currently underway.
District committees are now identifying private collectors and institutions holding rare texts, while the Culture Department is appointing surveyors across villages. Training for these teams is being conducted at the district level in coordination with regional experts.
The survey has already gained significant momentum, with 4,191 manuscripts documented through the mobile application across six districts where the field exercise has commenced.