With the aim of preserving Bihar's rich historical and cultural heritage, a high-level meeting on the topic of "Preservation and Digitization of Manuscripts" was held today at the Bihar Museum, Patna. The meeting was jointly chaired by Chief Secretary of Bihar, Shri Pratyay Amrit, and Director General of Bihar Museum, Shri Anjani Kumar Singh. This initiative is being undertaken under the "Gyan Bharatam" campaign of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

At the meeting, Secretary, Department of Art and Culture, Shri Pranav Kumar, provided detailed information on the subject through a presentation.

Addressing the meeting, Chief Secretary Shri Pratyay Amrit directed the development of a concrete action plan for the conservation of manuscripts scattered across the state. He stated that for the successful implementation of this campaign in the state, the Department of Art, Culture and Youth has been designated as the "Nodal Authority" and the Museum Director as the Nodal Officer. To work towards this goal, the Bihar Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with "Gyan Bharatam" (Ministry of Culture).

The Chief Secretary directed the formation of a technical team in each district to search for and catalog manuscripts. This team will conduct surveys by visiting institutional and private collections (such as monasteries, temples, and private libraries). He emphasized the need to undertake this work on a mission mode and commence the survey immediately. He stated that this work will be monitored every 14 days by the Director of the Bihar Museum and every month by the Secretary of the Department of Art and Culture. He specifically mentioned that many important manuscripts are also available in the record rooms of the older districts of Bihar, whose preservation is crucial. The Chief Secretary said that if the department takes concrete action in this direction before 'Bihar Day 2026', individuals and institutions making significant contributions to manuscript preservation will be honored on that occasion. He stated that the State Digital Repository will be linked with the National Digital Repository.

Director General of the Bihar Museum, Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh, elaborated on the technical details of the subject and provided necessary instructions to the department. He suggested that special laboratories could be established in the state for the scientific preservation of manuscripts. He informed that such advanced laboratories are already operational at the Patna Museum and the Bihar Museum. He suggested forming a dedicated special team to successfully complete this task.

Subject experts and relevant officials also shared their valuable suggestions during the meeting.

Present at the meeting were Secretary, Department of Art, Culture and Youth, Mr. Pranav Kumar; Director, Directorate of Museums and Archaeology, Mr. Krishna Kumar; Acting Vice-Chancellor, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Prof. Vishwajeet Kumar; Assistant Librarian, Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Md. Asgar; Director, Archives, Dr. Md. Faisal Abdullah; Historian and former Director (Khuda Baksh Library), Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed; Coordinator (Exploration and Excavation), Bihar Heritage Development Committee, Dr. Amit Ranjan; Additional Director, Patna Museum, Dr. Sunil Kumar Jha; and Additional Director, Bihar Museum, Mr. Ashok Kumar Sinha; along with other officials.