RECORD MANAGEMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OFFICES, AND CLASSIFICATION FOR THE RETENTION

Records constitute an important part of any office and it is, therefore, essential that they are retained and properly cared for. Records that have outlived their utility should be destroyed, relieving pressure on costly storage space which is more urgently required for the staff and new record. As for as the term Record management is concerned it is very wide and includes inter alia principles, practices and skill needed for achieving the most effective creation, use, maintenance, retention, protection, preservation and weeding/elimination of record. The main purposes of Record management are :-- (1) To speed up the location of and reference to record as a means of speeding up disposal of business. (2) To effect savings in cost of creating, locating, using, maintaining, retaining, preserving and eliminating record. (3) A scrupulous avoidance of creation of unnecessary record in all offices. It is the foremost duty of all offices and officers to see that only that record is created in the Department as is essential (4) To retain only the necessary active and required record. (5) Audit of record creation which requires consistent vigilance on the part of officers to ensure that reports, returns , statements and Registers etc prepared or maintained in various offices under their control are the minimum required for the efficient functioning of the Department. As for as the Recording is concerned it is the process of closing of a file after action on all the issues under consideration thereon has been completed, and when the branch office is satisfied that no further action is required to be taken on the file the dealing hand of the file will put it up to the Section incharge for his approval to the file being recorded under one of the following classes :-- Class 1 to be retained for one year, class 11 for three years Class 111 for eight years, Class IV to be retained for 15 years and Class V to be retained permanently. Note:-- (a) The period prescribed for retention should invariably be taken to run from the date of final order on the file. (b) All important files or notes containing orders for future guidance or established precedents will be retained permanently. (c) Cases in which the conduct of officers have been noticed and entries made in the character rolls maintained by the department will be retained so long as the officer affected remains in the service of the Government.