• To preserve and promote India’s rich cultural heritage, the Ministry of Culture established the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM).

• Implemented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), the mission aims to document India’s cultural heritage and its potential to revitalise rural economics.

• It aims to preserve and promote India’s rich cultural heritage for future generations by creating an objective cultural map that reflects the country’s diverse cultural landscape, designing mechanisms to meet the needs of the artist community, and fostering cultural vibrancy nationwide.

• NMCM is a significant step towards preserving India’s cultural heritage and empowering rural communities. 

• By documenting and promoting cultural assets, the mission aims to strengthen cultural identity and foster economic development.

• The mission will develop a database that contains a comprehensive inventory of India’s cultural assets and resources. 

• To effectively safeguard and revitalise these traditions, it is essential to implement community-based initiatives that promote collaboration between the state and local communities. 

• The Ministry of Culture has partnered with the Common Services Centres (CSC) under the Ministry of Electronics & IT to implement the cultural mapping initiative.

• NMCM launched the Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar (MGMD) portal in June 2023 (https://mgmd.gov.in/). This initiative aims to document the cultural heritage of 6.5 lakh villages of India. Currently, 4.5 lakh villages are live on the portal with their respective cultural portfolios.

The aims and objectives and expectations are as under:

i) To identify and document India’s cultural heritage and its creative potential to regenerate and revitalise rural economies, thereby making Village India self-reliant. 

ii) To create awareness about the strengths of cultural heritage and its interface with development and cultural identity.

iii) Cultural Mapping of villages along with their geographical, demographic profiles, and creative capitals. 

• NMCM is a significant step towards preserving India’s cultural heritage and empowering rural communities.

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