New Delhi, February 12 For the upcoming "Yuge Yugeen Bharat" Museum, objects will be drawn from six museums of the Ministry of Culture, 52 ASI site museums, repatriated artifacts, and those loaned for long-term from international institutions, state-level museums, and prominent private collections, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.
In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also said, "as the design phase is still ongoing, the project's budget and timeline are currently being determined".
TMC MP Saket Gokhale asked him about the "original and revised deadlines" for the completion of the "Yuge Yugeen Bharat" National Museum, which will be established in North Block and South Block, and the reasons for the "delay".
Officials had earlier said that the upcoming "Yuge Yugeen Bharat" National Museum — billed to be the largest museum in the world — will have eight thematic segments telling the story of India spanning over 5,000 years.
The new museum, to be housed in the North Block and South Block in the heart of the country's capital, will cover an area of 1.17 lakh sqm with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three storeys, they had earlier said.
Shekhawat, in his response, said, "It is being developed within the North and South Blocks of the Central Vista project. As the design phase is still ongoing, the project's budget and timeline are currently being determined."
He was also asked the details of the "dedicated corpus fund" established for the museum's soft infrastructure, including curatorial and research personnel, and "specific steps" taken to mitigate risks to the existing National Museum collection during the planned relocation of more than two lakh artefacts.
"For the "Yuge Yugeen Bharat" Museum (YYBM), objects will be drawn from six Ministry of Culture (MoC) museums, 52 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) site museums, repatriated artefacts, and long-term loans from international institutions, state-level museums, and prominent private collections," the Union minister said.
Shekhawat said the Ministry of Culture maintains a "benchmarked conservation laboratory" to ensure the "highest standards of care for antiquities".
"Every object will undergo a formal condition assessment prior to any potential movement to the "Yuge Yugeen Bharat" Museum. Depending on the findings, objects will receive either immediate preventive conservation or follow established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for remedial treatment before being cleared for transport," he said.
Shekhawat was also asked whether a "white paper" would be released on the museum's curatorial philosophy or ideological narrative and if so, by when.
"The museum's curatorial framework is currently being refined through extensive consultation with subject-matter experts to ensure a comprehensive historical narrative," he said.