India, Sept. 11 -- A Delhi Declaration uniting manuscript custodians across India will cap a three-day international conference on manuscript heritage starting Thursday at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. At the event, the government will also launch the Rs.400-crore Gyan Bharatam Mission, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, to create an ASI-style institution for preserving and interpreting manuscripts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the event on September 12 to hear presentations from working groups and address participants, while home minister Amit Shah will chair the September 13 valedictory session, where the declaration will be adopted.

"What ASI is for monuments, Gyan Bharatam will be for manuscripts," Union culture secret...