Context: Under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), the government has initiated a project to comprehensively document the cultural heritage of 650,000 villages across India.

National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM)

• About: The Ministry of Culture approved the NMCM in 2017 to build a comprehensive database of artists, art forms, and other resources from organizations under the Ministry.
• Objective: The project aims to create awareness about the strong connection between cultural heritage and development, and to preserve the cultural identity of rural communities.

oIt also includes the creation of National Registers of Artists and Art Practices, as well as the development of a web portal and mobile app to serve as a National Cultural Work Place (NCWP).

• Scope: It encompasses data mapping, demography building, formalizing the processes, and bringing all cultural activities under one umbrella for better results.
• Duration and Phases: The work on creating a database for folk arts and mapping the heritage of villages would be carried out over five years (from 2017).
• Coverage Statistics: The Census List of 2011, published by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, has identified 45,561 villages of Bihar, of which 36,127 have been covered by the cultural mapping project. In the Khagaria district, 262 of the 303 villages have been covered.

Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar (MGMD)

• About: It is a nationwide initiative led by the Ministry of Culture as part of the National Mission on Cultural Mapping, inaugurated on July 27th, 2023.
• Objective: The primary aim of this endeavour is to culturally map all 6.5 lakh villages across 29 States and 7 Union Territories of India onto a comprehensive virtual platform.