External affairs minister S. Jaishankar highlighted the important role of culture as a cornerstone of "soft power". He noted that the transformation of the North Block and South Block on Raisina Hill into the world's largest museum, will veritably be seeing an inspiration for the remaking of Bharat.
The external affairs minister made these remarks during India's National Museum and France Museums Development signing an agreement. Under this partnership, the French agency will provide expertise and share best practices to transform the British-era landmarks into a "global cultural landmark," envisioned as the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum.
The EAM also emphasised on the bilateral relations between India and France. "For us, this has been a very strong relationship, what in our profession, we call it a strategic partnership, and underpinning that has been that India and France see in each other "important poles" in a multipolar world," the EAM said. "So, when we deepen our cultural collaboration, in many ways, we also adding to a particular kind of relationship, which we believe would create a new and more democratic world order," he added. Shekhawat announced that the museum would incorporate advanced digital narratives, virtual reality installations and interactive displays that would "set a new benchmark for cultural institutions worldwide".
He commended France for its global expertise in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings, citing the Louvre Museum, which is housed in a former palace, as a prime example. The culture minister indicated that mapping work in the North Block is nearly complete, with South Block mapping in progress. He anticipated that upon completion, this museum would "globally become a most-visited museum in a very short span of time".
