India and France sign an agreement on digital preservation and conservation of rare written treasures

India and France signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on digital preservation and conservation of rare written treasures by Smt Sreya Guha, Joint Secretary (Library) in the Ministry of Culture and Mr. Bruno Racine, President of the National Library of France.

Aim : To conserve, develop and publicize written heritage, at the National Library in Kolkata

Important Facts:

• MoU will assist a programme on digitization of old manuscripts and documents, begun in France seven years ago, as it will make it possible for gaining their experience and high -quality expertise in this field.
• Ministry of Culture is emphasizing on the project of building a National Virtual Library in India which will store and share numerous manuscripts, archives, artworks etc.
• The National Virtual Library will link and share all knowledge resources lying within the possession of various government institutes and other organizations of both the countries.

The Director General of National Library, Dr. Arun Kumar Chakraborty and the new Consul-General of France in Kolkata, who were also present on the occasion, said that capacity and skill building programmes under the agreement will give a boost to Make In India and Skill India programmes. 

Key points :

• France PM : Manuel Valls
• France President: François Hollande
• France Capital : Paris
• France Currency : Euro, CFP franc