Archiving anomalies
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: September 15 2015 -
The National Archive of India, Ministry of Culture has asked the State Government to refund Rs 10 lakh sanctioned for digitization of Manipur State Archives after the latter failed to submit utilization certificate on time.
This exclusive news report by Hueiyen Lanpao Daily seems to indicate that all is not well with Manipur State Archives.
It has been reported that the State Government entrusted the work to a fake agency for the digitization of important and historical records.
The National Archive of India has now asked the Deputy Director of Manipur Archives to return the grant amount to the Centre through a demand draft in favour of National Archives of India as the utilization period of the grant has already been “expired” on January 1, 2015.
It has been reported that under the scheme and the central fund, archival records which were to be digitalized include 22,200 pages of Puya (ancient Manipuri scriptures) belonging to 18th and 19th centuries; a 50-page Durbar Resolutions adopted between 1907 and 1947; books written in Manipuri between 1930 and 1970; 50 pages of books written in English and published between 1913 and 1970; Manipur Gazette published between 1933 and 1947 and a 30-page Manipur Gazette published on 1986.
Besides these, a 70,000-page administration reports written in English between 1868 and 1975; a 50,000-page journals written both in English and Manipuri between 1930 and 1970 and a 2,8000-page trial document of Anglo-Manipuri War 1891 were also to be digitized.
Whatever are the real reasons behind the Centre asking its fund back, citizens ought to know that there had been some anomalies in the entire process of utilizing the funds meant for such an important public project.
Without construing much, one can understand the whole situation in perspective.
What the responsible state authorities should now do is not just finding out the truth behind the episode of roping in a fake agency but how such lapse can be justified given the necessity of keeping the perishable archival materials alive through digitization.
Urgent measures need to be taken so that parts of the rare written records are digitized for the future generation.
Anyone who cares about such records should not make the issue a case of archiving anomalies.
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