The Ministry of Culture has reported that 4.5 lakh villages have been mapped and uploaded on the Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar (MGMD) web portal. This constitutes 69% of the initial target of mapping 6.5 lakh villages, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, informed the Lok Sabha.
The National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), implemented by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), was established to preserve and document India’s cultural heritage. The MGMD portal captures various cultural elements, such as oral traditions, beliefs, customs, historical records, art forms, food traditions, artists, fairs, festivals, traditional attire, ornaments, and local landmarks.
The mapping of over 5,000 villages, targeted for completion by 2022, was achieved within the timeline. Since its inception in the 2020-21 financial year, the total funds utilized for the NMCM initiative amount to ₹75.48 crore.
