Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF)

  • 14 Nov 2024

In News:

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund to launch ‘Nehru Archive’ next year.

Nehru Archive Initiative

  • Launch Date: The Nehru Archive will go online on November 14, 2025, coinciding with Jawaharlal Nehru's birth anniversary.
  • Purpose: The archive will showcase less-known published and unpublished works of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, including his speeches, letters to Chief Ministers, and other writings.

Archive Content

  • Key Features:
    • 100 volumes of The Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru.
    • Letters to Chief Ministers (1947-1964), documenting Nehru's communication with state leadership.
    • Nehru’s iconic books like:

 

      • The Discovery of India
      • Glimpses of World History
      • Letters from a Father to His Daughter
      • An Autobiography
      • The Unity of India
      • A Bunch of Old Letters
    • Speeches from 1917 to 1964.
    • Writings on Nehru by his contemporaries.
    • Global archival material from international sources.
  • Objective: The goal is to provide dynamic, continuously updated, open-ended access to Nehru’s work, making it the most important research source on Nehru.

Significance

  • Educational and Intellectual Contribution: The archive will serve as a comprehensive, accessible source of information for students, scholars, and the general public to understand Nehru’s contributions to the making of modern India.
  • Preservation of Legacy: It will preserve and promote Nehru’s intellectual legacy and his vision for India's development post-independence.
  • Historical Importance: The archive will help contextualize Nehru’s leadership during critical periods of Indian history, including India’s independence, partition, and post-independence challenges.

Governance and Establishment of JNMF

  • Founded: The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund (JNMF) was established in 1964 through a Deed of Declaration of Trust following a National Committee chaired by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, then President of India.
  • Purpose: To preserve and promote Nehru's legacy, especially his role in shaping modern India.
  • Governance: The JNMF is governed by 14 trustees and is currently headed by Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party.