Rs 3,230-crore Yuge Yugeen museum with world’s largest display area gets Cabinet nod

Why in the News

The 100 year old North and South Block complex in New Delhi will change from a seat of government offices into the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, a public cultural institution. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister, has approved the Ministry of Culture project at Rs 3,230 crore. The museum is planned to have the largest display area in the world.

What is the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum?

1. What it is: It is a planned museum that will present India’s civilisational journey through curated thematic galleries and exhibitions.
2. Heritage covered: It will show both tangible heritage (objects and buildings) and intangible heritage (cultural traditions, knowledge systems and artistic practices).
3. Adaptive reuse: Adaptive reuse means giving an old building a new use and preserving its architectural character. It is like turning an old palace into a hotel without changing its structure.
4. Timing: Government offices are relocating from the two buildings, which the official statement calls a unique opportunity for reuse.
5. The takeaway: A century old seat of government becomes a building the public can visit and learn from.

What has been approved, and on what timeline?

1. Origin: The Prime Minister announced the project on 18 May 2023.
2. Appraisal: The Public Investment Board (the Finance Ministry panel that examines large central projects) appraised it on 27 July 2026. The Ministry of Culture concurred with its recommendations.
3. Phases: Work will run in phases from the current financial year to 2030-31, the tentative completion year.
4. First gallery: A gallery titled “Adornment” is expected to open to the public in North Block in the latter half of 2027.
5. Principal architect: The Ministry has engaged Los Angeles based architect Kulapat Yantrasast after a public tender last year.

What will the museum hold, and how large will it be?

1. Size: The proposed built up area is about 1,78,509 square metres. Benchmarked against major international museums, its display area will be the largest in the world.
2. Collection: Around 1.8 million objects have been identified from the National Museum and other Ministry of Culture museums, State museums and private collections.
3. Site museums: The collection also draws on 52 site museums of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the agency that protects monuments.
4. Other galleries: Themes include “Architecture and Cityscapes”, “Mathematics and Astronomy”, “Languages and Scripts”, “Faith and Spirituality” and “Bharat Connects: Trade and Ideas”.
5. Visitors and facilities: It is being equipped for over one crore visitors a year. The project covers collection storage, conservation facilities, visitor amenities, landscaping and intelligent building systems.

Why does the project matter for heritage and learning?

1. Preservation with a new role: The project seeks to preserve the architectural and heritage character of the buildings and give them a new institutional role.
2. Education and research: As a public cultural and educational institution, it will offer opportunities for learning, research and cultural engagement.
3. Modern museum practice: It will combine contemporary museum practices, immersive technologies and interpretation designed around the visitor.

Challenges

1. Old structures: Buildings designed as offices a century ago need climate control and fire safety upgrades that can damage heritage fabric.
2. Moving the collection: Shifting objects from many museums risks damage and loss of records in transit.
3. Source museums: ASI site museums and State museums could lose objects that draw meaning from their original location.
4. Visitor pressure: Very high annual footfall will add wear to heritage interiors.

Way Forward

1. Conservation plan: The Ministry of Culture should publish a conservation management plan before structural work begins.
2. Digital records: Each object should be photographed and catalogued, with its ownership history recorded, before it is moved.
3. Loans, not transfers: Objects from site museums should come on rotating loan, so that source museums keep their collections.
4. Timed entry: Timed ticketing should spread visitors across the day to protect interiors.

Conclusion

The project is approved and phased work follows, with the first gallery as the next milestone. What to watch is whether the conversion keeps the buildings’ heritage character intact as collections arrive from across the country.

Matching Previous Year Question

“[2018, GS1, 10 marks] Safeguarding the Indian art heritage is the need of the moment. Discuss.”