Para 48 — CSMOP
Original Rule Text
48. Activities involved in records management -
Records management covers the activities concerning mainly recording, retention, retrieval and disposal by transferring records to National Archives of India (NAI). Each Department is expected to issue Departmental instructions to regulate and review of records.
What This Means
Para 48 opens Chapter IX on Records Management and gives a broad overview of what records management involves. It covers four main activities: recording (closing and categorising files once action is complete), retention (keeping files for the prescribed period), retrieval (being able to locate and access files when needed), and disposal (transferring files to the National Archives of India or destroying them according to the schedule).
The para establishes that records management is not a clerical afterthought — it is a systematic function that every Department must regulate through its own departmental instructions. This means each Ministry must have a clear policy, not just rely on the CSMOP's general framework.
For Section Officers, records management is a direct supervisory responsibility. Delays in recording closed files, failure to review old files for destruction, and inability to retrieve files quickly are all failures of records management that reflect on the SO.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- 1Records management covers recording, retention, retrieval, and disposal — four core activities.
- 2Disposal means transfer to National Archives of India (NAI), not simple destruction.
- 3Each Department must issue its own departmental instructions to regulate records management.
- 4The Section Officer is responsible for ensuring records are properly managed in the Section.
- 5Para 48 opens Chapter IX, setting the framework for Paras 49 to 54 which detail each activity.
- 6Poor records management — lost files, unrecorded decisions — is an administrative failure that can have legal consequences.
Practical Example
During an annual inspection, the inspecting officer finds that a Section in the Ministry of Mines has 340 closed files from 2018 still sitting in the Section cupboard, neither reviewed for retention nor sent to the Departmental Record Room. The SO is asked to explain. The correct procedure under Para 48 and departmental instructions was to review these files, categorise them under the Record Retention Schedule, and transfer them to the Record Room within one year of closing. The SO is directed to complete this within two months. Going forward, the Section implements a quarterly review of closed files to prevent accumulation.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Frequently Asked Questions
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This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.