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The Ministry of Culture, through the National Mission on Cultural Mapping (NMCM), is preserving India’s vast rural heritage under the Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar (MGMD) programme. Launched in June 2023 and implemented by IGNCA as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the MGMD portal (https://mgmd.gov.in/) aims to culturally map all 6.5 lakh villages across the country. As of now, over 4.7 lakh villages are live on the portal, showcasing unique cultural elements such as oral traditions, festivals, food, local art, dress, and folklore.

The initiative is an important step in preserving India’s intangible heritage and promoting rural cultural identity. It includes the documentation of marginalised communities’ cultural expressions and aims to boost the rural economy through cultural awareness. In West Bengal alone, 5,917 out of 41,116 villages have already been mapped, with documentation underway for the rest. No state-wise financial assistance has yet been allocated for this programme.