NEW DELHI: North Block, which once housed the home and finance ministries, will reopen in less than a year from now, showcasing the first gallery of one of the largest museums in the world.Announced three years ago, Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM) will be opened to public next year, govt said Wednesday after the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) cleared a Rs 3,230 crore development plan for the museum that will include the North and South Blocks and will be spread over nearly 1.8 lakh square metre, equal to 25 football fields. Once complete in 2031, the museum’s display area will be 1 lakh square metre, compared with 73,000 square metre of display area in Louvre and 70,000 square metre at the British Museum.On X, PM Narendra Modi said, “Imagine New Delhi becoming home to the world’s largest museum display area? Think scale. Think culture. That is the vision behind Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum…From ancient knowledge systems, mathematics and astronomy to architecture, art, languages and spirituality, the museum will bring thousands of years of our heritage to life through immersive experiences and world-class galleries.”The project scheduled to be complete by March 2031 will cost nearly two-and-half times that of the new Parliament building.I&B minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters that the museum aims at presenting the complete “civilisational journey” of India using modern technology while maintaining architectural integrity of the two buildings on Raisina Hill that were until recently the seat of power.Culture ministry, which is working on the project, was looking at opening the inaugural gallery by 2026-end.The ministry will soon start work on laying out the gallery, which will be on the theme of ‘adornment’ in the North Block, officials said. This gallery is expected to present the aesthetics that have defined India’s civilisational journey through the ages depicting it through the jewellery and decorations.A modular approach is being formulated to add more galleries. The content and collection analysis is being done and around 1.8 million objects have been identified from National Museum and other culture ministry museums, 52 Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) site museums and various state museums and private collections to be displayed in the YYBM.Although the museum will open next year, the metro station that will come up next to Rakabganj Gurdwara is likely to be operational by June 2029 and will act as a crucial link given that nearly 70% of visitors are expected to come from the entry gate behind the North Block. The earlier plan to explore connecting the North and South Blocks through an underground tunnel has been dropped and will now have a surface level connection, officials said.The museum is also expected to generate recurring revenue through ticket sales, food and beverage facilities, events and venue rentals, digital experiences, guided tours, retail outlets and other visitor services.TOI has learnt that the CCEA has approved the culture ministry’s proposal of annual revenue generation of around Rs 163 crore from letting out five auditoriums and venues for events and programmes, seven food courts and sale of tickets.
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The ministry, in its proposal, has proposed Rs 100 as ticket for Indians and Rs 1,000 for foreigners.Considering the scale of the museum, there will be a separate director general and four additional director generals for the project. People aware of the project said around 262 posts would be created, including curators and support staff.