New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday (November 11), approved a Rs 3,230-crore project to develop the proposed Yug Yugeen Bharat National Museum (YYBNM), the “largest museum in the world”, in the North and South Block buildings in New Delhi, according to government statement.The museum, promised by the Union government earlier this year as part of the Central Vista project, and in partnership with France, will need a space to display about 7,000-8,000 artefacts at a time, and thus wouldn’t fit in the current National Museum premises.The proposal was appraised by the Public Investment Board (PIB) on July 27, 2026, and the Ministry of Culture has concurred with its recommendations. It will be spread over a proposed built-up area of approximately 1,78,509 square metres, and integrate contemporary museum practices with immersive technologies and visitor-centric interpretation, according to a statement by the CCEA.The statement added that it will be the largest display area in the world.The museum was announced by Prime Minister Modi on May 18, 2023. Its plan has been shrouded in secrecy, though an internal proposal that The Wire reported on earlier this year revealed that it may intend to retell history to suit the regime’s agenda of portraying Hinduism as eternal, Muslim rulers as villains and ‘Bharat’ as the root of modern ideas like democracy.The project is said to be implemented in phases between the financial years 2026-27 and 2030-31. The first gallery, on the theme of adornment, is scheduled to open to the public in the North Block in the second half of 2027.According to the PIB statement, the YYBNM is “envisaged as a landmark civilizational museum showcasing the continuity, diversity and richness of Bharat’s civilizational heritage through an integrated narrative of its tangible and intangible cultural heritage.”It aims to present India’s civilisational journey through “curated thematic galleries, exhibitions and interpretation of its diverse cultural traditions, knowledge systems, artistic practices and heritage”.However, critics have feared that the BJP’s attempts at rewriting history – as seen in school textbooks and the speeches of its leaders – will reflect themselves in this museum too. The Wire has previously reported that there was almost no consultation, and the museum is an attempt to reframe India’s past in ways that chime with the BJP’s Hindutva template and efforts to reduce the vast plural fabric of India’s cultural heritage to one shade.Neither the website of the National Museum, nor its social media handles have revealed much about the likely upcoming changes so far. The PIB statement, meanwhile, added that other galleries are being developed on the themes such as Architecture and Cityscapes, Mathematics and Astronomy, Languages and Scripts, Faith and Spirituality and Bharat Connects – Trade and Ideas, among others.“Implementation will be undertaken through coordinated project management, design and technical oversight, quality assurance and periodic monitoring,” it stated.