Para 52 — CSMOP
Original Rule Text
# 52. Record Retention Schedule -
To ensure that files etc. are neither prematurely destroyed, nor kept for periods longer than necessary, every Ministry/Department will:
(a) in respect of records connected with accounts, observe the instructions contained in Appendix 13 to the General Financial rules as available in the website of the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure (www.finmin.nic.in);
(b) in respect of records, relating to establishment, personnel and housekeeping matters common to all departments, follow the „Record Retention Schedule‟ in respect of Records Common to All Ministries/Departments‟, which is available on Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances‟ website
www.darpg.nic.in, as amended from time to time.
(c) in respect of records connected with its substantive functions, issue a departmental retention schedule prescribing the periods for which files dealing with specified subjects shall be preserved, in consultation with the NAI.
What This Means
Para 52 sets out the core obligation of the Record Retention Schedule (RRS) — every Ministry and Department must ensure that files are neither destroyed too early nor kept for longer than necessary. Both are failures: premature destruction loses important records; indefinite retention creates storage burdens and buries relevant documents.
The para prescribes three separate sources of RRS authority for three types of records. For accounts-related records, the instructions are in Appendix 13 to the General Financial Rules available on the Ministry of Finance website. For establishment, personnel, and housekeeping records common to all Departments, the standard RRS published by DARPG applies. For records specific to a Department's own substantive work, each Ministry must prepare its own departmental retention schedule in consultation with NAI.
This means a Ministry like Agriculture must have its own retention schedule covering files on crop insurance, fertiliser policy, seed certification, etc. — subject-specific retention periods that the general DARPG schedule cannot cover. Section Officers must know all three sources and apply the correct one depending on the type of file being recorded.
This explanation was generated with AI assistance for educational purposes. Always refer to the official gazette notification for authoritative text.
Key Points
- 1The RRS ensures files are neither prematurely destroyed nor kept longer than necessary.
- 2Three separate RRS sources apply: accounts records (GFR Appendix 13), common establishment/housekeeping records (DARPG RRS), and Department-specific substantive records (each Ministry's own departmental schedule).
- 3Each Ministry must prepare its own departmental retention schedule for substantive function files, in consultation with NAI.
- 4Section Officers must know which source applies to each file before recording and categorising it.
- 5Files on accounts are governed by Ministry of Finance; files on establishment by DARPG; substantive policy files by the Department's own schedule.
- 6Non-compliance — premature destruction or indefinite retention — has administrative and legal consequences.
Practical Example
A Section in the Ministry of Health closes three files in one quarter: one containing hospital construction accounts for a central scheme, one dealing with a doctor's service record, and one containing a policy decision on the national immunisation calendar. For the accounts file, the SO consults GFR Appendix 13. For the doctor's service record, the DARPG common RRS applies. For the immunisation policy file, neither source covers it — the SO consults the Health Ministry's own departmental retention schedule, which designates such policy files as 'Permanent'. All three files are recorded with correct categories before being transferred to the Record Room.
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.