India and France Sign Historic MoU to Preserve Manuscripts

Q: 1. What is the primary purpose of the India-France MoU signed in October 2026?

The MoU aims to preserve, digitize, conserve, and research rare Indian manuscripts and documentary collections held at the National Library of France.

Q: 2. Under which national initiative did India sign the manuscript preservation agreement?

India signed the agreement under the Gyan Bharatam Mission, a flagship program of the Ministry of Culture.

Q: 3. Who represented India and France during the MoU exchange ceremony?

Shri Vivek Aggarwal (Secretary, Ministry of Culture) represented India, while Mr. Gilles Pécout (President, BnF) represented France.

Q: 4. What are the key technological tools highlighted in the agreement?

The agreement emphasizes technology exchange in Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) tools designed specifically for Indian scripts.

Q: 5. What role does the National Digital Repository play under the Gyan Bharatam Mission?

The repository provides a secure, structured, permission-based platform for scholars to access digitized Indian manuscripts and Indian Knowledge Systems resources worldwide.

Updated: 27 Oct 2026

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India and France Sign Historic MoU to Preserve Manuscripts

Ministry of Culture, Government of India, signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), the National Library of France. The ceremony took place in Paris on October 26, 2026.

This bilateral initiative operates under India's flagship Gyan Bharatam Mission. Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, signed the agreement for India. Mr. Gilles Pécout, President of BnF, represented the French institution.

The agreement establishes a long-term framework to identify, conserve, digitize, and research rare Indian manuscripts held in French collections.

Essential Cultural & Institutional Frameworks:

Gyan Bharatam Mission: A flagship program of the Ministry of Culture dedicated to identifying, cataloging, conserving, digitizing, translating, and publishing India's extensive manuscript heritage. It connects traditional Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) with modern academic research.
National Digital Repository: A secure, centralized platform designed to host digital copies of Indian-origin manuscripts preserved across domestic and international libraries. It offers structured, permission-based access to scholars worldwide.
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): The national library of France, located in Paris. It holds one of the world's most extensive collections of historic Asian manuscripts and classical Indian texts.
Key Domestic Institutions: The National Archives of India (New Delhi) and the National Library (Kolkata) serve as primary institutional executors alongside the Ministry of Culture.

Five Pillars of Bilateral Cooperation

The MoU structures its operational roadmap across five specialized technical domains:

Digitization: Systematic high-resolution scanning of rare Indian manuscripts preserved within BnF archives.
National Digital Repository Integration: Enabling resource sharing and cross-portal access for researchers via digital networks.
Technology Exchange: Developing and sharing specialized Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) software tailored for ancient Indian scripts.
Physical Conservation: Exchanging advanced chemical and paper preservation techniques to protect fragile palm-leaf, parchment, and paper manuscripts.
Research and Development: Conducting joint digital humanities projects, publishing academic findings, and organizing international exhibitions.

Academic Workshops and Capacity Building

The partnership establishes regular knowledge exchange channels between Indian and French archivists.

Both nations will organize joint training sessions, capacity-building programs, and scholarly exchanges. These initiatives focus on improving cataloging standards, paleographic analysis, and digital archival management.

Summary Fact Sheet for Quick Revision

Parameter / Metric	Official Agreement Data
Agreement Name	India-France MoU on Manuscript Preservation
Signing Date & Location	October 26, 2026 in Paris, France
Indian Nodal Ministry	Ministry of Culture (under Gyan Bharatam Mission)
Indian Signatory	Shri Vivek Aggarwal (Secretary, Ministry of Culture)
French Signatory	Mr. Gilles Pécout (President, BnF)
Partner Institutions	National Archives of India & National Library, Kolkata
Core Technology Focus	OCR & HTR tools for ancient Indian scripts

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Girish Kumar

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Girish Kumar is a current affairs content writer at Utkarsh Classes, with a decade of experience covering diverse contemporary issues. He develops high-quality study material for various competitive examinations, including UPSC, PSC, Bank PO etc.