Every records creating agency produces a large body of records in pursuit of different programmes and policies as mandated, but all the records thus produced cannot be retained for obvious reasons. We have, therefore, to resort to what is called “Selective Retention” of records. The process of appraisal is to be carried out in an objective manner.
Appraisal of records
It is the process of determining the value of records based upon their current administrative, legal and fiscal use as well as their evidential, informational and intrinsic value of records. This is undertaken on more than 25 years old files/ records by archival professionals. Appraisal is an evaluation of Public Records in association with the National Archives of India.
Under Section 3(2) of the Public Records Act, 1993 and Rule 5 of the Public Records Rules, 1997, the Director General of Archives has been authorized to undertake the appraisal and also accept for deposit records of permanent nature.
Under Rule 5(2) Records officer shall intimate to the Director General or head of the Archives, as the case may be each year before 31st day of January, in Form-1,(Link)
(Size - 24 KB, Language - English, Format - PDF) the particulars of all public records of permanent nature which are due for appraisal during the year.
As delineated in Section 6(1) (c) of the Public Records Act, 1993, the Departmental Records Officer is responsible for appraisal of Public Records, which are more than twenty-five years old in consultation with National Archives of India. This is undertaken with a view to identify the records of permanent value for subsequent transfer to National Archives of India for scientific preservation.
Further, para 112 of the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure (CSMOP) (13th Ed., 2010) stipulates that files of category ‘A’ and ‘B’ (Appendix-25 of CSMOP) surviving the review on their 25th year of life [vide para 113(3)] will be stamped prominently as ‘transferred to NAI’ and retired to the National Archives of India.
Records transferred from various Ministries/Departments etc. from Feb.2010 till May 2016 (Link)(Size - 123 KB, Language - English, Format - PDF)