(a) whether it is a fact that a large number of priceless documents in the National Archives of India (NAI) have been damaged or annotated;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has taken any steps to ensure the proper upkeep of these precious documents of NAI and also their ready accessibility to the people of the country, especially the research scholars; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR CULTURE AND TOURISM
(SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)
(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (d) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *109 FOR 10TH FEBRUARY, 2020 REGARDING UPKEEP OF DOCUMENTS IN NATIONAL ARCHIVES
(a) : No, Sir.
(b) : Not applicable in view of (a) above.
(c) & (d): Yes, Sir.
The details of the steps taken by the Government are as below:
a) Preservation:
National Archives of India (NAI) has been engaged in the preservation of original documents using the time-tested process involved in the conservation of documentary heritage. NAI has undertaken an Action plan for the repair and rehabilitation of the records of Government of India with the help of both in-house conservation and through outsourcing methods.
A total number of 5,13,971 sheets were repaired and 1846 volumes, 3410 original consultations (OC’s) and 2750 miscellaneous items were stitched and bound in the last one year through the regular and outsourcing methods.
In the next financial year (2020-21), a total number of 4.50 lacs sheets are being repaired and 1550 volumes are being stitched and bound through the regular and outsourcing methods. In addition, to ensure proper upkeep of documents NAI undertakes various procedures such as preventive, curative, restorative and storage conservation so as to preserve the documents for posterity.
b) Accessibility:
Accessibility of records is governed by the Public Records Act 1993 and Public Records Rules 1997. National Archives of India provides access through both physical and digitized formats.
The digitized records are uploaded on Abhilekh Patal, online search portal of NAI (URL: www.abhilekh-patal.in) which is being accessed globally. As on 30-01-2020, around 70,840 digitized records consisting of 28,06,704 pages are available on this portal. Physical records are made available to research scholars as and when individual scholars request for them.
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