The National Archives of India is the custodian of the non-current records of the Government of India and is holding them in trust for the use of the records creators and the users at large. It is the biggest repository of the non-current records in south-east Asia. Archives are the priceless documentary heritage of any nation and as the premier archival institution in the country; the National Archives of India (NAI) plays a key role in guiding and shaping the development of archives both at the national as well as international level.
In its unique position as the sole repository of the union government for public records of the country. National Archives of India functions as an attached office of the Ministry of Culture entrusted with the preservation of the documentary heritage of the nation. It is also the nodal agency for the implementation of the Public Records Act, 1993 and public records. It has one regional office at Bhopal and three records centres at Bhubaneswar, Jaipur and Puducherry.
The major activities of the National Archives of India include: making public records accessible to various Government agencies and research scholars; an online search portal “www.abhilekh-patal.in” now facilitates to access records; rendering technical assistance to individuals and institutions in the field of conservation of records; the Department through its regular diploma courses are being conducted by the School of Archival Studies imparts training in various disciplines of archival sciences. The National Archives of India provides financial assistance to states/union territories, archives, voluntary organizations and other custodial institutions for enhancing the documentary heritage of the nation.
