13 RECORDS

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133. Control.--There will be a separate section called the "Record Section” in charge of a Record-keeper and under the immediate control of the manager, or the Head Ministerial Officer.

134. Functions of the Record-keeper---The main functions of the Record-keeper are

(1) Supply of records in response to requisitions.

(2) Checking of records deposited.

(3) Registry of records taken out by subject clerk and noting their return in the register.

(4) Sending every month arrear lists for the return of records taken out more than three months ago.

(5) Cleaning and dusting of racks, and the examination of records in order to protect them from damage by white-ants.

(6) Labelling and varnishing of record boards.

(7) Keeping the bundles arranged neatly and methodically on the racks.

(8) Keeping, the record room tidy and in good repair.

 (9) Destruction of records in due time.

135. Record room.—A separate room adequate to hold records of the office should be allotted for the record Section and the (Clerks and the Record-keeper will be seated at the entrance to the room. Adequate fire-fighting equipments should be available and kept serviceable and easily accessible to put out immediately any accidental fire. No lights other than electric lights shall be allowed in the record room. Smoking is strictly prohibited. If any sealing has to be done, it shall be done in the presence of the Record-keeper.

136. Arrangement of records after disposal.—After a disposal other than an ‘N’ disposal has been despatched, the file will be sent to the Record-keeper by the Superintendent, Fair Copy Section. The Record-keeper will acknowledge it in the last column of the Distribution Register. He will see that the files are in order, properly arranged with their pages numbered, the jackets, if they are R. or D. disposals properly marked, on the outside, and the back and forward numbers marked inside the jackets. He will also scrutinize the pages of the files for signs of stamps having been removed. He will detach the index slips from the R. and D. disposals and file them in his bundles in the manner laid down in paragraph 103. He will then put the disposals away in their proper order.

137. Disposal bundles.—There will be separate series of bundles for R., D., K. and L. disposals, respectively, and in these the files, or papers will be arranged in order of their current numbers. X., L. disposal papers which have no numbers can only be arranged chronologically, their order being determined by the date on which they were disposed of. The arrangement of filed papers will be explained in paragraph 138. After he has put a disposal away in its place, the Record-keeper will put away in their places any papers that were "put up" with it for reference marking them as received back in the Record Issue Register. He will also remove the dummy slips put in their places on the racks.

138. Filing-Definition.—Papers which are arranged in records, not in the R., D., K. or L. bundles according to their current numbers, but in special bundles according to their subjects, are said to be "filed”. They should be kept loose, arranged according to their own numbers or chronologically, as explained below, between record boards.

Filed papers will be indexed if they are marked I' by competent authority. Papers which are to be filed in this way will be marked 'F'. If they are not marked 'F'by the officer opening the tappal, the F. disposal must be approved by the head of the office or officer signing for him just like any other disposal. After 'F', the number of the 'file' will be written boldly. Each head of an office must compile his own list of 'Record files'. It will, of course, have to be supplemented from time to time. These papers will not be put in brown paper jackets.

(i)            Government orders--. All Government orders on which no specific action has to be taken or no action beyond that of communicating them to subordinate officers for 'information and guidance' will generally be filed. Government orders which contain reviews on periodicals, or are connected with them may be filed with connected periodicals, and those which are of purely ephemeral interest and do not deal with questions of policy and principle or important matters of fact may be given the appropriate disposal (generally L. Dis. but occasionally F) which they would get if they did not emanate from the Government. A separate bundle will be opened in the record room for each series of Government orders, e.g., one for Government orders, Public Department, another for Government orders, Finance Department and so on. In these bundles, the Government orders will be arranged according to their own numbers, that is to say, G. O. no. 100, Agriculture will come before G. O. No. 120, Agriculture and the latter will come before G. O. No. 136, Agriculture and so on.

• (ii) Periodicals. There will be a periodical bundle for each year and in it the different kinds of periodical returns will be arranged in sub-bundles. The sub-bundles will be arranged according to the periodical numbers (see paragraph 148) and the individual periodicals will be arranged in the sub-bundles chronologically. With an outgoing return will be filed any incoming return, or returns from which it is compiled, and correspondence that has arisen in connection with it.
• (iii) General record files. Some other classes of papers should be dealt with on the same principles. These are either papers which it is convenient to keep together for purposes of reference (for example, papers relating to appointments and leave, tour diaries, minutes of committee meetings, etc.), or circulars or papers which would ordinarily be lodged, but which it is convenient to keep in a separate bundle to facilitate reference to them when it may be found necessary. Suitable opportunities for extending this system should be watched for, as its extension saves work. In these general record files, the papers will be arranged according to their own numbers when that is feasible i.e., when the contents of a bundle consist of one series of communications with their own numbers and otherwise chronologically.

139. Supply of records—Rules.-(A) Records shall be supplied only on requisitions made in the prescribed form (Form IX, Appendix I).

 (b) Requisitions for records shall be signed by clerks.

(c) Not more than one record shall be asked for in the same  form.

(d) Superintendents and clerks of sections should, while calling for records from the Record Sections, invariably enter in the printed requisitions slips the sections in which they are working so as to enable the Record Section to prepare for each section separate arrear lists for the return of records.

(e) When records are taken out from the bundle, the requisition slip with the date of issue noted in it shall take its place in the bundle. When the Record-keeper receives the records back he will see that their receipt is duly entered in the Record Issue Register and that the requisition slips are returned forthwith.

(f) All records issued out of the Record Section shall be entered I in a register called the Record Issue Register (Form X, Appendix I). For issue of library books a separate register should be kept.

(g) The record taken out and the Record Issue Register shall then be sent to the clerk concerned who will acknowledge the receipt of the record in the space provided for the purpose in the register and return the latter to the Record -keeper.

(h) In case a record wanted is not found the requisition slip should be returned to the concerned clerk with an entry to that effect.

(i) Anew requisition slip should be taken whenever a file or book has to be retained for more than three months since the earlier slip was issued.

140. Requisition for Records-Noting of current number or purpose.—The current number for which a record is required should invariably be noted on requisitions. Where a current number could not be quoted, the subject of the file or the purpose for which the record is required should be briefly indicated.

141. Return of records to the Record Section.-(a) It is the duty of section clerks to return to the Record Section records taken out from it as soon as they are done with. The evils of unnecessary detention and accumulation of records in the section are as follows:

(i) Accumulation of records on side racks, tables and form cases makes the section untidy and presents a picture of confusion which will be reflected in the clerk's work.

(ii) Records are more easily and more quickly obtained from the record room than by hunting for them in ill-arranged lots detained in the section. Delays and waste of time can thus be avoided.

(iii) Unnecessary detention of records deprives other clerks of these records when they require them for their use or at any rate puts them to needless waste of time and worry to secure the records from the clerk who has detained them. The latter himself will be disturbed in his work frequently by having to search for a record whenever another clerk makes a requisition for it.

(iv)Records detained in sections are often put up in files other than those for which they were originally taken out from the Record Section and no intimation of transfer is sent to that section. This makes it nearly impossible to find out where a record is put up. The most frequent cause of delay by clerks in putting up files is the difficulty in locating and obtaining records thus locked up in some unknown file. They waste a good deal of their time in going to several departments to enquire about the whereabouts of a record. Most frequently this proves a fruitless search. They thus delay not only the pending file for which the record is required and very often put it up in an imperia in an imperfect fashion, but also delay several other papers as much time had already been wasted in tracing the missing record.

(v) This practice is a fruitful source of loss of records.

(b) It is the duty of the Section Superintendent to inspect the clerk's table, side racks, etc., as frequently as possible and to have the records sent away to the Record Section.

142. Watching of return of records—Duties of the Record keeper.—The record-keeper should prepare on the first of every month an arrear list for each section for all records which have been taken out from the record room for more than three months together with the name and designation of the clerk to whom each record was issued and the date of its issue. He should at the same time furnish an extract from the arrear lists separately to each clerk to enable him to check whether the files referred to are still with him and to return them when no longer required for reference.

143. Register of volumes, indexes, etc. (1) A Register shall be maintained by the Record-keeper showing the details of the volumes of indexes and all completed or closed registers kept in the record room.

(2) Details regarding completed or closed registers shall be posted under the following headings:

Column 1. Serial Number

Column 2. Name of Register

Column 3. Period to which it relates

Column 4. Number of pages

Column 5. Date of closure and transfer of register to records

Column 6. Signature and designation of person handing over

register to the Record-keeper

Column 7. Acknowledgement of the Record-keeper

Column 8. Remarks.

(3) In bigger offices where the number and categories of the registers (i.e., Cash Book, Personal Register, Periodical Register, Liability Register, Contingent Register, Register of increments, etc.) to be accounted for is large, separate pages should be allotted for particular registers, or group of registers maintained in particular sections of the office and an index furnished at the beginning of the Register. This will facilitate verification of the continuity of the closed registers.

(4) Some pages will be set apart at the end of the register prescribed in sub-paragraph (2) above for recording transfers of charge by the Record-keeper of the registers held by him. This information will be recorded under the following column headings:

Column 1. Serial Number

Column 2. Date of transfer

Column 3. Name and designation of relieving custodian

Column 4. Name and designation of custodian relieved

Column 5. Remarks as to correctness of records according to register

Column 6. Signatures of relieved and relieving custodians ,

Column 7. Action taken regarding any register not handed over correctly.

(5) Registers shall be destroyed only on the expiry of the period of retention prescribed for each, and with the prior written sanction of the competent authority. The reference of the order sanctioning destruction of the register, manner of destruction, and name and designation of person who supervised the destruction, shall be recorded in column 8 of the register prescribed in sub-paragraph (2) above.

144. Destruction of records.-Records must be destroyed punctually after the periods prescribed for their preservation. L. disposals will be destroyed after one year. K. disposals after three years and D. disposals after ten years. No detailed list of them will be prepared, but a list of the classes of records to be destroyed: (Lodged Disposals of 19............

D. disposals of 19 ...except Nos....."and so on) will be put up and approved by the head of the office. The entry ‘D'before the disposal numbers will be altered by substituting 'R' on the jackets of the files ordered to be retained permanently, by the head of the office. If the head of the office orders that a D. disposal file should be retained not permanently, but till a certain year, the file will be transferred to the D. disposal bundle of papers ripe for destruction that year, the fact being noted on the jacket. After the papers have been destroyed, the manager or Head Ministerial Officer will certify at the foot of the list of records to be destroyed that the papers in the list have been destroyed, except such as have been ordered to be retained permanently or for a certain period, which files will be specified by their numbers. These lists will be carefully filed and preserved in the record room in a special bundle.

145. Destruction of filed records.-In regard to the destruction of record files, the heads of the office's orders should be taken annually. The records must be so classified that their period of retention should correspond to one or the other of the forms of disposals-R., D., K. and L. A list of such files of the previous year should be put up and his orders taken how long each should be kept. The year of destruction should then be noted on each bundle. Filed Government Orders will be regarded as D. disposals, if they have not been indexed and as R. disposals if they have been indexed. Other registers will be destroyed after the periods specified against them in Appendix II.

146. Inspection.---The manager or Head ministerial Officer will inspect the record room at least once in a quarter and record his 13, 14 remarks in a running note file covering the following points:

(a) Whether the record room is in good repair and protected from white-ants?

(b) Whether the records are kept clean, methodically arranged and secured from entry at all points and whether the lightening arrangements are sufficient?

(C) Whether adequate fire-fighting equipment is available?

(d) Whether the rules regarding the issue and return of records from and to the Record Section are strictly observed?

(e) Whether the old records are periodically destroyed and what records were destroyed during the period of inspection and what remained overdue?

The defects pointed out in the running note shall be remedied by the Record-keeper within one week of the inspection and the running note with the reply of the Record-keeper shall be put up by the Manager to the head of the office.

The head of the office will also make a detailed inspection of the Record Section in April every year and submit a report to the immediate superior authority covering the points (a) to (e) above. The condition of the records will be clearly stated showing the steps that have been taken to remedy the defects noted by him. Returns will be prescribed in the Record Section to ensure the quarterly and annual inspection as required above.