(a) whether ancient documents under the holdings of the National Archives of India (NAI) are in a poor state of preservation;
(b) if so, the details thereof alongwith the corrective steps taken in this regard;
(c) the extent to which documents/manuscripts under the NAI have been digitalised along with the funds allocated and utilized for the purpose;
(d) whether the Government has taken steps to modernise the NAI and improve its functioning; and
(e) if so, the details thereof including providing adequate training to the staff and employing historians and professionals for better maintenance and preservation of documents? |
| ANSWER |
MINISTER OF HOUSING AND URBAN POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND MINISTER OF CULTURE (KUMARI SELJA)
(a) & (b). No, Sir. Only the post independence records of permanent nature recently received from various Ministries/Departments etc. need immediate attention for their preservation. National Archives of India (NAI) has employed 45 preservation professionals for preservation of such records.
(c) Approximately 15 lakh pages of documents/manuscripts have been digitized. The expenditure involved for the same is Rs.18 lakh, from the allocated funds of Rs.20 lakh for the financial year 2011-12.
(d) Yes, Sir.
(e) NAI has modernized its conservation research laboratory with latest equipments for carrying out the preventive and curative conservations of records. Training in the fields of conservation of archival heritage for both professional and sub-professional level are conducted by School of Archival Studies and staff of NAI are also deputed to national and international organizations to update their knowledge under various exchange programmes and agreements. Many historians and Archivists are engaged by NAI from time to time for preservation and other works. Professor Mushirul Hasan, Director General of Archives, an internationally acclaimed Historian/scholar, heads NAI at present. |
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