Lok Sabha Question No. 4867 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Access to Digitised Archival Records at Abhilekh Patal
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Smt. Himadri Singh, Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar, Dr. Rajesh Mishra, Shri Mahesh Kashyap, Shri Mukesh Rajput

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4867 ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## Access to Digitised Archival Records at Abhilekh Patal

4867. Smt. Himadri Singh:

Smt. Mahima Kumari Mewar:

Dr. Rajesh Mishra:

Shri Mahesh Kashyap:

Shri Mukesh Rajput:

Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state

- (a) the present status of digitisation of archival records under the National Archives of India (NAI) and the volume of records made accessible through the Abhilekh Patal portal;
- (b) the categories of collections currently available online, including reference media and digitised documents and the extent of augmentation undertaken during the last three years;
- (c) whether  any  initiatives  have  been  undertaken  to  enhance  user  accessibility,  metadata standardisation and integration with educational or research institutions; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

- (a): The National Archives of India (NAI), under the Ministry of Culture, has undertaken a phased programme for the digitisation of archival records with the objective of preserving historically valuable documents and improving access to archival resources for researchers and the public.

The Abhilekh Patal portal is presently hosting approximately the following:

- i. 74,03,109 reference media records
- ii. 40,09,504 digitised files
- iii. 18,98,20,637 digitised pages

(b): The  archival  collections  available  through  the  Abhilekh  Patal  portal  cover  a  wide  range  of historical records preserved by the National Archives of India. These include:

- i. Public records transferred from various Ministries and Departments of the Government of India
- ii. Private papers of eminent personalities
- iii. Archival reference media such as photographs, maps, microfilms and rare documents
- iv. Digitised historical government files and archival collections maintained by NAI

During the last three years, sustained efforts have been undertaken to strengthen and expand the digital archival repository. These efforts include:

- i. Large-scale digitisation of archival files and historical records
- ii. Integration of newly accessioned archival material into the digital repository
- iii. Creation and improvement of archival metadata and catalogue descriptions
- iv. Expansion of digitised reference media collections available through the portal

(c&d): Several  initiatives  have  been  undertaken  by  the  National  Archives  of  India  to  enhance  user accessibility  and  improve  the  management  and  standardisation  of  archival  metadata.  These  initiatives include:

- i. Development of a comprehensive Online Archival Information Management System through the Abhilekh Patal platform
- ii. Implementation of standardised archival metadata frameworks and cataloguing practices
- iii. Provision  of  advanced  search  and  retrieval  facilities  to  enable  efficient  discovery  of  archival records
- iv. Online user registration and remote access facilities allowing researchers and scholars to access archival information digitally
- v. Introduction  of  services  such  as  Digitize-on-Demand  (DoD)  and  Page-on-Demand  (PoD)  to facilitate access to archival material not yet digitised

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