The two-day 48th Meeting of the National Committee of Archivists (NCA) concluded on 29 November 2024 at the Statue of Unity, Kevadiya (Ekta Nagar), Gujarat. It was the second occasion that the NCA held its meeting in Gujarat. Earlier on 7 June 1982, the 32nd Meeting of the NCA was held at Gandhinagar.
The 48th meeting was jointly organized by the National Archives of India, Government of India, New Delhi and Gujarat State Archives. In a video message sent for this occasion, Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat appreciated the efforts of the Government of Gujarat, Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendra Bhai Patel, and the Gujarat State Archives for organizing the event. He emphasized the need to pay special attention to the preservation of historical records which are a part of our shared cultural heritage but as these are written mainly on paper and tree bark and leaves, they are more fragile than historical buildings, statues, coins, etc. He added that special training is required for the preservation of records, for which extensive training programs should be organized continuously.
Shri Arun Singhal, Director General of Archives, National Archives of India & Chairman of NCA inaugurated the occasion, and Dr Shailesh Solanki, Director, Gujarat State Archives delivered the welcome address.
During the Inaugural Session, an online portal of the Gujarat State Archives was launched which provides easy access to the records. The Gujarat State Archives has completed the digitization of its entire records holding.
On this occasion, the following three books were also launched:
- The Royal Heritage of Gujarat, by the late Prof Makarand Mehta, published by Gujarat State Archives;
- The Diary of Manu Gandhi: 1946-1948, ed. By Prof Tridip Suhrud, published by the National Archives of India and Oxford University Press, and
- Descriptive List of Mutiny Papers", Vol.9, ed. By Muzaffar-e Islam, published by the National Archives of India and Yatra Books.
The National Committee of Archivists is an all-India Forum of professional Archivists, which was set up in 1953 by the Government of India to deliberate upon and resolve technical problems faced by Archivists in their day-to-day work. The Committee is headed by the Director General of Archives, National Archives of India, and comprises representatives of all State/UT Archives. Its first meeting was held in Hyderabad in 1954, and this will be the 48th meeting being held in various cities of India. The last 47th meeting of NCA was held under the aegis of the Directorate of Archives, Archaeology and Museum, Jammu and Kashmir on 18-19 March 2024.
The purpose of the meeting of NCA is an opportunity to discuss archival problems and disseminate knowledge of their approved solutions; achieve uniformity in professional practices; draw attention to the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies and developments; to co-ordinate activities of common interest among the Archives Offices in the country; to consider and recommend measures to accelerate archival development in the country; develop contacts and links with archival institutions in the region as a whole; Solving problems through collaborative efforts at the professional level.
The technical Sessions of the Meeting discussed the use and potential of AI in facilitating easy access to digitized archival material, and the use of various outreach programs to increase the utilization of archival resources. An online Flipbook, titled "Chronicles of India: A Curated Book” based on the National Archives of India’s social media posts, was also launched on this occasion.
Taking note of the importance of oral traditions of the country that was emphasized by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in the latest episode of his ‘Man ki Baat’ on 24 November 2024, the delegates devoted a full session on Oral Archives where prevailing practices for creating, preserving and accessing Oral histories were discussed. The need for developing a robust framework for it was emphasised and it was decided to appoint a Sub-Committee for developing Standard Operating Procedures for Oral Archives.
During the two-day meeting, the delegates deliberated on various aspects that are required for revitalizing the archives administration and records management system in their respective States/ UTs and underscored the need for leveraging the full potential of the digital and AI technologies for this purpose. They agreed on adopting a focused and concerted approach for preserving and sharing the rich documentary heritage of the nation, and for making their archival resources easily accessible through Web-Portal.
In the 48th Meeting of the NCA, delegates from Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh participated in person, while those from Assam, Goa, Bihar and UP attended in virtual mode. The next meeting of NCA is scheduled to be held on 14-15 April 2025.