Gandhi Heritage Sites portal to be soon launched

New Delhi, Sep 2 (PTI) Over 34,000 letters written by
and to Mahatma Gandhi, documents related to his personal life
and freedom struggle will soon be available at the click of a
mouse under a Government of India plan, which will also see
2,000 lesser-known places associated with the apostle of peace
sporting a new look.
The Government, in association with Sabarmati Ashram
Preservation and Memorial Trust in western city Ahmedabad,
will soon launch the Gandhi Heritage Sites portal at a cost of
Rs 8 crore.
Besides, the Culture Ministry will also set up
Gandhi Heritage Sites Mission at a cost of Rs 42 crore during
a five-year period to spruce up, protect and conserve the
sites spread across eight countries including India with a
view to showcase them to the younger generation and to
tourists.
The portal will be set up at the Sabarmati Ashram,
as recommended by a panel of eminent Gandhians and historians
in the country headed by Gandhi's grandson Gopalakrishna
Gandhi and will serve as a one-stop shop for people to know
about Gandhi’s personal and public life, a senior Culture
Ministry official said.
To establish the portal, government will provide Rs
8 crore and a corpus fund is being set up, for which Rs. 4
crore is being released to the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation
and Memorial Trust (SAPMT) this month, the official said.
Sabarmati Ashram has by far the largest collection
of carefully preserved manuscripts of Gandhiji’s writings
during his stay in Sabarmati.
"The Library and Archives at Sabarmati consist of
34,111 letters - either to Gandhiji or from him; original as
well as photostat copies. These letters have been microfilmed
and entered into register which is also on computer files,"
the official said.
All these documents and letters will be available on
the portal for public use and the decision was taken to
preserve and perpetuate these invaluable heritages with proper
research, in an authentic manner to showcase to the younger
generation and also to the rest of the world.
The portal will be regularly updated by the Sabarmati
Ashram to ensure that all relevant details on Gandhiji are
incorporated in one site which will be unique in more senses
one, the official said, adding it will be interactive.
On the Heritage Sites Mission, the official said the
sites, most of which are in a dilapidated condition, have been
identified by the panel.
The Mission will be assisted by the existing Zonal
Cultural Centers in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and
Rajasthan. MORE PTI ETB
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