All the objects at various galleries of the present National Museum at Janpath will consequently be moved to the new museum at North/South Block as part of the Central Vista project, under which the National Museum will be razed to make way for ministry buildings. The new National Museum will cover an area of 1.17 lakh sq m, as per officials.

Presently, the South Block houses the Prime Minister’s Office, the External Affairs Ministry and the Defence Ministry, while the North Block is home to the ministries of Finance and Home. “All the galleries of the (current) National Museum would be shifted to the new site and the current building would become part of the Kartavya Path,” MoS, Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi said on Wednesday.

Announcing the three-day expo to be held at Pragati Maidan, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said that is the first time the government will showcase new technology and initiatives for museums. He added that the Ministry of Culture has established 383 museums till date, out of which 145 have been commissioned and opened during the last nine years.

There is also a Ministerial Panel titled Vision 2047 where 12 state culture ministers will discuss their vision for the development of museums in their respective states. Additionally, the Secretarial Panel will see the participation of nine Union government secretaries from other Ministries/Departments that also fund, curate & develop museums, statement said.