MADHUBANI, April 29 -- Madhubani district has secured the first position in Bihar in the primary verified and approved national survey of manuscripts under the ongoing manuscript digitisation initiative, officials said on Tuesday. The achievement was highlighted during a state-level virtual review meeting chaired by Bihar chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit late on Monday evening, according to district public relations officer Parimal Kumar. "During the meeting, district-wise progress of the manuscript survey was assessed", he maintained. Bihar accounts for a 22% share of the total manuscripts surveyed across India (6,182,827). Following Rajasthan (1,449,867) and Madhya Pradesh (1,012,516), Bihar ranks among the leading states in the country with 749,923 manuscripts. In terms of verified and approved manuscripts, Madhubani (396,487) holds the first position within the state. It is followed by Gaya (111,398), Sitamarhi (85,441), Patna (52,548), and Darbhanga (24,139). The lowest number of manuscripts has been recorded in the Jamui (10) district. Following the verification of manuscripts, the meeting also included a discussion regarding the surveys that were rejected. According to the data, a total of 559,104 manuscript surveys have been rejected. In districts such as Gaya, Muzaffarpur, and Patna, the number of accepted manuscripts stood at 149,378, 117,839, and 101,810, respectively. According to official figures, Madhubani recorded 396,487 manuscripts, the highest in the state, while Gaya ranked second with 111,398 manuscripts. Officials said that the accomplishment reflects the coordinated efforts of the district administration, various government departments, academicians, researchers and local citizens. Manuscripts are handwritten documents generally over 75 years old and are considered to hold historical, cultural, literary or intellectual significance. Authorities described them as invaluable elements of India's civilisational heritage that require urgent preservation. The survey and digitisation exercise is being carried out under the Government of India's Gyan Bharatam Mission, which aims to identify, preserve and digitally archive manuscripts across the country for future generations. Welcoming the district's achievement, Madhubani district magistrate Anand Sharma appealed to residents to actively participate in the campaign. He urged citizens, educational institutions and social organisations to identify old handwritten manuscripts in their possession and support their digitisation so that the region's cultural heritage can be safeguarded....