The Bihar State Archives Directorate has trained around 400 officials from across Bihar in record management, preservation and digitisation, in a four-day programme aimed at improving how government documents are maintained and accessed.
The workshop, held in Patna from November 2 to 5, focused on the scientific management and long-term preservation of records kept in government offices. Officials were introduced to procedures for maintaining administrative documents and to the legal framework governing public records in the state.
The programme covered the Bihar Public Records Act, 2014, and the Bihar Public Records Rules, 2015. Participants were briefed on their responsibilities in the creation, maintenance and preservation of public records under the state’s legal provisions.
Bihar State Archives director Mohd Faisal Abdullah, who inaugurated the programme, said government records form the backbone of the administrative system and must be preserved in an organised and systematic manner. The workshop was organised to strengthen record management practices and improve the preservation of official documents.
The training was conducted in phases for archival officials from district offices, courts, police departments and the state secretariat. The participation of officials from these departments brought together institutions that generate, store and use records across different parts of the government system.
Technical sessions led by archivist Rashmi Kiran dealt with record classification, indexing, storage, transfer procedures and record room management. These processes determine how records are arranged, identified, moved between offices and retained in government record rooms.
The workshop also highlighted the importance of timely digitisation. According to the report, officials were told that digitising valuable documents can help safeguard them and ensure their long-term accessibility. The focus on digitisation places record preservation alongside the need to make official information available for continued administrative use.
The programme comes as government departments manage records created by district administrations, courts, police units and the state secretariat. The training sought to improve practices across these offices rather than limit archival responsibilities to the state archives directorate.
The directorate’s initiative also links daily administrative work with the statutory responsibilities established under the Bihar Public Records Act and Rules. The training sessions addressed both operational procedures, such as indexing and storage, and the legal duties attached to the creation and preservation of public records.
The four-day workshop concluded on November 5 after covering record classification, indexing, storage, transfer procedures, record-room management and digitisation. The participating officials are expected to apply the record-management procedures across the district offices, courts, police departments and state secretariat represented in the programme.
