India’s cabinet approves Yuge Yugeen Bharat museum

India’s cabinet approved the Yuge Yugeen Bharat museum project on 11 November 2026, to showcase the country’s history and civilization. First announced in 2023, the project will use the former civil service offices in New Delhi’s North and South Blocks.

The government estimates the project will cost about $340 million. Its name translates roughly as “India through the ages” and invokes Bharat, an ancient Sanskrit name for India.

The buildings and collection

The conversion is part of the Central Vista redevelopment of New Delhi’s administrative area, which includes plans to make the blocks publicly accessible as museums. Prime Minister Narendra Modi backed the wider redevelopment, and lawmakers moved to a new parliament building in 2023.

The cabinet said the museum would have the world’s largest display area, based on comparisons with major international museums. It put the proposed built-up area at approximately 178,509 square meters; that figure is for the built-up area, not the display area.

Around 1.8 million objects from national and state museums, archaeological collections and private holdings have been identified for possible display. The government says the museum will offer opportunities for learning and research.

Planned timetable

CNA says the museum is designed to accommodate up to 10 million visitors a year. It places the approval in the context of Modi’s government renewing its emphasis on India’s precolonial cultural identity.

The first gallery is expected to open to the public by the end of 2027, while completion of the project is scheduled for financial year 2030–31.