Power of the Government to co-ordinate, regulate and supervise operations connected with administration, maintenance and appraisal of public records

Power of the Government to co-ordinate, regulate and supervise operations connected with administration, maintenance and appraisal of public records.—

1. (1) The Government shall have the power to co-ordinate, regulate and supervise the operations connected with the administration, management, maintanence, selection, appraisal, disposal and destruction of public records under this Act.
2. (2) The Government may, in relation to the public records of the records creating agencies, by order, authorise the Director or any other officer, subject to such conditions as may be specified in the order, to carry out all or any of the following functions, namely:—
   • (a) supervision, management and control of the archives;
   • (b) acceptance for deposit of public records of permanent nature after such period as may be prescribed;
   • (c) custody, use and withdrawal of public records;
   • (d) arrangement, protection and exhibition of public records;
   • (e) preparation of inventories, indices, catalogues and other reference media of public records;
   • (f) analysing, developing, promoting and co-ordinating the standards, procedures and techniques for improving the records management system;
   • (g) ensuring the maintenance, arrangement and security of public records in the State Archives Department and in the offices of the records creating agencies;
   • (h) promoting utilization of available space for the preservation of public records and maintenance of equipments;
     • (i) rendering advice to records creating agencies on the compilation, classification and disposal of public records and for application of standards, procedures and techniques of records management;
   • (j) survey and inspection of public records;
   • (k) organizing training programmes in the fields of archives administration and records management;
   • (l) accepting records of archival value from private sources;
   • (m) regulating access to public records;
   • (n) receiving records from defunct institutions and making arrangement for ensuring the security of public records in the event of national emergency;
   • (o) receiving reports on records management and disposal practices from the records officer;
   • (p) providing certified copies of, or extracts from, public records in the manner as may be prescribed;
   • (q) destruction and disposal of public records;
   • (r) accepting any record of historical, national or administrative importance by way of purchase or as gift or in any other manner as may be prescribed; providing guidelines for the preservation of public records that are destroyed in disasters which comes under the definition of ‘disaster’ under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005).