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Updated June 12th, 2021 at 13:38 IST

Rajnath Singh approves policy on archiving, compilation of histories of wars & operations

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has approved a policy on the archiving, declassification, and compilation of war and operations histories.

Reported by: Srishti Goel
Rajnath Singh
Picture Credit: PTI | Image:self
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Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved the policy on archiving, declassification and compilation of histories of wars and operations by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Each Ministry of Defence organization, such as the Services, Integrated Defence Staff, Assam Rifles, and Indian Coast Guard, will transfer records, such as war diaries, letters of proceedings, and operational record books, to the History Division of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for archival and writing of histories, under this policy.

Rajnath Singh approves policy on archiving history

The official statement release by the Ministry of Defence read, "The responsibility for declassification of records rests with the respective organizations as specified in the Public Record Act 1993 and Public Record Rules 1997, as amended from time to time. According to the policy, records should ordinarily be declassified in 25 years. Records older than 25 years should be appraised by archival experts and transferred to the National Archives of India once the war/operations histories have been compiled."

"Timely publication of war histories would give people accurate account of the events, provide authentic material for academic research and counter the unfounded rumours," the MoD's statement noted.

While gathering, requesting approval, and publishing war/operations history, the History Division will be responsible for coordinating with other departments. For the preparation of war/operation history, the policy mandates the formation of a committee led by the Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Defense and comprised of representatives from the tri-services, MEA, MHA, and other organizations, as well as notable military historians (if required). 

Compilation of war is now approved by Defence Ministry 

In addition, the strategy established specific timetables for the creation and publication of war/operations history. Defence Ministry noted, "The Committee should be formed within two years of completion of war/operations. Thereafter, the collection of records and compilation should be completed in three years and disseminated to all concerned." The Kargil Review Committee, led by K Subrahmanyam, and the N N Vohra Committee both suggested having war histories published with a clear policy on declassification of war records in order to analyze lessons learned and prevent future mistakes, according to the statement.

The release added, "Post-Kargil War, GoM recommendations on national security also mentioned the desirability of authoritative war history. Timely publication of war histories would give people accurate accounts of the events, provide authentic material for academic research and counter the unfounded rumours."

(with inputs from ANI)

Picture Credit: PTI

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Published June 12th, 2021 at 13:38 IST

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