NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at preserving India’s manuscript heritage, the Delhi government has deployed 300 Urdu and Sanskrit teachers to assist in the identification and documentation of manuscripts under the Gyan Bharatam Mission.
According to an official communication issued by the Directorate of Education, the Competent Authority had approved the deployment of teachers for the project being undertaken by the Department of Art, Culture and Languages, Government of NCT of Delhi. However, after reports emerged that some teachers and Heads of Schools had not been informed about the assignment, district education officials have now been directed to ensure that all concerned teachers are notified and report for duty whenever called upon by the competent authority.
The Education Department has also clarified that teachers assigned to the mission during the summer vacation period will be treated as “On Duty” and will be eligible for Earned Leave in accordance with the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules. The letter, signed by the DDE (Schools), was emailed to schools on June 5 along with the list of 300 teachers selected for the project.
The Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to identify and preserve over one crore manuscripts housed in libraries, museums, academic institutions and private collections across the country.
A source in the Education Department said the participation of Urdu and Sanskrit teachers would play a key role in identifying and cataloguing manuscripts written in classical and traditional languages, many of which remain undocumented.