Source: IE
Context: The Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) resolved to pursue legal action for the return of Jawaharlal Nehru’s Private Papers taken by Sonia Gandhi in 2008, calling them a national treasure.
About Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML):
- What it is?
- PMML is a premier autonomous institution in New Delhi dedicated to advanced research on modern and contemporary Indian history, housing extensive archival collections.
- Established in: Founded in 1966 by the Government of India.
- Formally inaugurated on November 14, 1964, as the Nehru Memorial Museum, dedicated to India’s first Prime Minister.
- Governance structure:
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- Governed by the Prime Ministers Museum and Library Society under the Ministry of Culture.
- President and Vice-President of the Society are nominated by the Central Government.
- Objective:
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- To preserve, document, and promote scholarly research on modern Indian history and governance.
- To foster understanding of Jawaharlal Nehru’s ideals and India’s independence movement.
- History:
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- Located at the Teen Murti House, erstwhile residence of Nehru (1948–1964).
- Library building added in 1974, Annexe and Centre for Contemporary Studies in 1989–1990.
- Functions:
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- Curates Private Papers of over 1,000 national figures (e.g., Gandhi, Ambedkar, Azad).
- Hosts lectures, seminars, and publications on modern history and public policy.
- Provides public access to archives for Indian and international scholars.
- Manages significant collections, including official correspondence, manuscripts, rare books, and personal papers.
- Significance:
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- It is India’s foremost academic centre on modern history and the evolution of its polity.
- Acts as a repository of national memory, shaping public discourse and democratic thought.
- Enhances public awareness of the Constitutional values and contributions of key leaders.
