National Archives of India

What is the News?

A group of archivists and scholars have called for transparency in the proposed demolition of annexes that form part of the National Archives of India(NAI) in order to make way for the Central Vista project.

About National Archives of India(NAI):

• Firstly, National Archives of India (NAI) is a custodian of the non-current records of enduring value of the Indian Government. It holds them in trust for the use of administrators and scholars.
• Secondly, Origin: It was originally established as the Imperial Record Department in 1891 in Calcutta(Kolkata). This department was transferred to the new capital, New Delhi, in 1911. Later, it was shifted into the present building in 1926.
• Thirdly, Nodal Ministry: It functions as an Attached Office of the Department of Culture under the Ministry of Culture.
• Fourthly, Significance: It is the biggest archival repository in South Asia. It has a vast corpus of records viz., public records, oriental records among others which constitute an invaluable source of information.
• Fifthly, Headquarters: New Delhi. It also has a Regional Office at Bhopal and three Record Centres at Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, and Pondicherry.

Abhilekh Patal :

• Abhilekh patal is an online portal to access the National Archives of India’s reference media and its digitized collections via the internet.
• Meaning: The name ‘Abhilekh patal’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Abhilekh’ meaning the records of ancient times and the word ‘patal’ meaning the platform, board, or surface.

Source: Indian Express