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The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance under the chairmanship of Hon'ble MP Shri Jayant Sinha is in the process of examining the subject '<b>Cyber crimes and rising incidence of cyber /white collar crimes</b>' and have decided to invite views/suggestions on this subject from experts/industry associations/organizations. Those desirous may send two copies of memoranda/suggestions in English/Hindi to Director (E,F & Estt.), Lok Sabha Secretariat, Room No. 513, Parliament House Annexe Extension (Block B), New Delhi – 110001.  Tel. No. 23035759, Fax No. 23010756 and e-mail the same to comfinance[at]sansad[dot]nic[dot]in within 15 days

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Expenditure over Entitlement

Does not include items like Papers laid on the Table; Matters u/r 377 laid on the Table; Reply by Ministers on Supplementary Questions; Other than Obituary References/Announcements made; Observations/Rulings by the Chair; Participation of Ministers from Rajya Sabha; Statement by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; and intervention by Ministers/Members.

The organization chart has been prepared on the basis of Notifications / Office Orders Part-I issued from time to time. For authoritative and specific orders regarding allocation of work amongst various officers of Lok Sabha Secretariat please consult Administration Branch-I:

As a part of the modernisation of the Library and Information Services available in the Parliament and also to make these more user friendly an Audio-Visual & Telecasting Unit was set up in 1992 with the facilities of a Viewing Room and an Editing Room. 

The Service has two Units, viz. Audio Visual Unit and Telecasting Unit: 

<h2>Audio-Visual Unit:</h2>

<b>(a)  Functions</b>

This Unit looks after the work of collection of material, accessioning, preservation and preparation of computerized database for quick retrieval of cassettes of the parliamentary proceedings and other events like conferences, seminars, symposia, workshops, telefilms on different aspects of parliamentary practices and procedure. The Unit provides blank cassettes / DVDs / VCDs to the Lok Sabha TV Channel for recording of various programmes. To make the Unit Library more user friendly, a software has been developed for indexing and retrieving the information contained in AV collection. Arrangements have also been made for copying of speeches of members of Parliament into VCDs/DVDs for use by them on payment basis.

<b>(b) Collection</b>

<b>(i) Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha proceedings:</b>

Audio-Video Library is preserving select recordings of Lok Sabha proceedings since 1992 and entire recordings since 1994 in video cassettes of broadcasting quality. The Library also preserves recordings of Rajya Sabha proceedings in VCD format since 1992.

<b>(ii) Linguaphone Courses for MPs:</b>

Audio-Visual Unit has also acquired language learning courses (audio and video cassettes) in various Indian and foreign languages for the use of members of Parliament. The  following language learning courses are available for listening/viewing in  the Viewing Room:-

<b>(a) Audio Cassettes:</b>

· Language courses in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu through English;
· Hindi language course through commentaries in Assamese, Bengali, English, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Tamil and   Telugu;
· Linguaphone  courses  in  23 foreign languages, viz. Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish and Swedish through English;
· Linguaphone courses for learning Hindi language through English
· Linguaphone courses for learning English language through Hindi.

<b>(b) Video Cassettes:</b>

Linguaphone courses in four foreign languages, viz. French, German, Italian and Spanish through English.                   

<b>(c) Facilities for viewing/listening:</b>

Facilities for viewing/listening to video recordings of proceedings of the Lok Sabha and other parliamentary events, such as national and international parliamentary conferences/seminars, parliamentary films, etc. are available to members of Parliament and other users including accredited correspondents, in a Viewing Room set up in the Unit.

<b>(d) Facilities for Recording of Parliamentary Functions:</b>

Audio-Visual Unit provides facilities for recordings of important parliamentary functions as and when required.

<h2>Telecasting Unit:</h2>

<b>(a)  Background</b>

Televising of select parliamentary proceedings was initiated on 20 December 1989 with the live telecast of the Address by the President to the members of both Houses of Parliament. With a view to expand the scope of telecasting, the matter was considered in depth on 26 November 1991 by the General Purposes Committee of the Lok Sabha and then at a Joint Sitting of the General  Purposes Committee of both the Houses. Accordingly, it was decided to record the proceedings of the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha and then these were to be telecast the next morning. The Question Hour in Lok Sabha was first time telefilmed on 2 December 1991 and telecast the following morning ,i.e., on 3 December 1991 from 7.15 a.m. to 8.15 a.m. Later, the presentation of the Railway and the General Budgets were televised ‘live’ for the first time on 25 February 1992 and 29 February 1992, respectively. Further, important speeches of the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and leaders of various other parties in Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, General Debate on the Budget and discussions on the Demands for Grants of various Ministries were telecast in capsule form in order to project the views of various parties for the benefit of viewers. Since 18 April 1994, entire proceedings of the Lok Sabha are being telefilmed.

As a major step to telecast the parliamentary proceedings ‘live’, a Low Power Transmitter (LPT) was set up and made operational in Parliament House on 25 August 1994 to make telecast available within a range of 10 to 15 kms from Parliament House. The live telecast of the Rajya Sabha was started on 7 December 1994 on Channel 9 Band 3 through another LPT installed in the Parliament House. From 7 December 1994 onwards, the proceedings of the Question Hour of both the Houses are being telecast live on alternate weeks throughout the country on the national channel of Doordarshan from 1100 hrs. to 1200 hrs, All India Radio is also broadcasting the proceedings of the Question Hour of both the Houses on alternate weeks on their National Channel from 2200 hrs. to 2300 hrs. the same night on their national network. It has been arranged in such a manner that during the telecast of the Question Hour of one House by Doordarshan, the Question Hour of the other House is broadcast by All India Radio. With the launch of DD-News Channel, Doordarshan has been telecasting ‘live’ the Question Hour in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha simultaneously on National Channel and DD-News Channel of Doordarshan on alternate weeks since the Winter Session of Parliament in 2003. Howver, if one House is adjouned for any reason, both channels cover the other House. DD News Channel, however, switches over to other important news items temporarily, if it happens during live telecast of Question Hour.

<b>(b) Dedicated Channels for Telecast of Parliamentary Proceedings:</b>

Two separate dedicated satellite channels were set up on 14 December 2004 for telecasting ‘Live’ the proceedings of both the houses of Parliament. With the setting up of the LSTV Channel, the live coverage of Lok Sabha proceedings is being done by this Channel since 24 July 2006. The 24 hour Channel is being run, serviced and financed by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. In addition to the live and recorded telecast of proceedings of the Lok Sabha the Channel also features various informative, interactive and substantial value-added programmes of general interest and on issues relating to democracy, governance, social, economic and constitutional issues and citizens concerns. To further enhance  the reach of the Channel, a website of Lok Sabha TV Channel was launched by the Speaker, Lok Sabha on 9 May 2012. The website (www.loksabhatv.nic.in) has placed the LSTV Channel on the internet domain to extend its reach to wider, younger, audience on the one hand and to help people seeking to address their concerns on the other.

<b>(c) Guidelines for Broadcasting and Telecasting of the President’s Address, the Lok Sabha Proceedings and other Parliamentary Events.</b>

The guidelines for recording, telecasting, webcasting and broadcasting of the proceedings of the Lok Sabha and other parliamentary events and activities and supply of cassettes or discs thereof to members of Parliament, Media and others were issued for the first time on 22 June 1994 in order to ensure that such telecast/broadcast is as per established norms and standards. The Guidelines are kept updated from time to time as per requirement.

<b>(d)  Coordination with Doordarshan/AIR/Other Agencies:</b>

 Audio-Visual Unit coordinates with Doordarshan/All India Radio and other agencies for telecasting/broadcasting of   proceedings of Lok Sabha, national and international conferences/seminars besides other important parliamentary functions/ events held in the Parliament precincts and elsewhere. The Unit makes all necessary arrangements for effective and uninterrupted telecast/broadcast by providing infrastructural and other assistance to all agencies concerned. 

<b>(e)  Parliamentary Films:</b>

As an extension of telefilming and televising of parliamentary proceedings, video films have been prepared on different parliamentary practices and procedures and other related topics for use of members of Parliament and others. Six Parliamentary films have so far been prepared,viz , “Private Members’ Bills”; “Parliamentary Questions”; “Parliamentary Etiquette and Manners”; “Financial Committees”; “Enriching the Debates in Legislatures”; and “How to be an Effective Parliamentarian?” and the same are available in the Archives of the Unit.

<h2>Information Management in Parliament</h2>

In a parliamentary system,  the  representatives of the people need objective, factual and timely information. With this  in  view,  the  Parliament of India, over the years, has taken significant steps in developing Information Technology to assist parliamentarians in the effective discharge of  their duties.

For the purpose of introducing automation in Parliament Library, the computer-based information retrieval system named Parliament Library Information System (PARLIS) was started in December 1985 with the help of the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Since then, the Computer Centre, now renamed as Computer (HW&SW) Management Branch, has played a key role in the modernization and computerization not only of the Parliament Library but also of the entire Lok Sabha Secretariat.

The Parliament Library Information System was designed within the Library for the benefit of Members of Parliament. It was a database of subject index references to parliamentary information. Later, all the databases were converted into full text databases in Web format and were made available on the Parliament of India Home Page.

<b>Information available on Parliament of India Home Page</b>

(http://parliamentofindia.nic.in)

The Parliament of India Home Page was inaugurated  by  the  then  President  of  India, Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma, on 15 March 1996. In a very short period, the Home Page containing the    information    generated     within     the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha has become an important source of information and  reference tool about the Constitution of India, history of Indian Parliament, its practices and procedures, proceedings    of    Constituent    Assembly, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, profiles of Members of both Houses and their socio-economic background, etc. Separate websites of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are being maintained by the respective Secretariats and are linked on the Parliament of India Home Page.

The web page of Lok Sabha is periodically redesigned   to   facilitate   easy   access of information to the users. The data released on the website is organized logically through user­friendly drop-down menus. Navigation of information across the pages is also available. The major components of parliamentary information now available on the Lok Sabha Home Page (http://loksabha.nic.in) are:-

<b>(i) Members:</b> Contains information with regard to the alphabetical, state-wise, party-wise lists of present members, details of women members, nominated members, vacancies, addresses and email addresses. Information pertaining to consolidated list of members (First to Sixteenth Lok Sabha) indicating Lok Sabha experience; Biographical sketches of members from First Lok Sabha onwards; Home Page for each member of present Lok Sabha containing his/her bio-data, participation in the parliamentary proceedings, Questions, Bills, Motions and information pertaining to the development of his/her constituency and various search options in the database are available.

<b>(ii) Business:</b>  Contains the information  relating to the Business of the House, Bulletins, List of Private Members' Business, Special Mentions and Resume of Work done during each Session.

<b>(iii) Questions:</b> Contains the Questions list, Text of the Questions and Answers from November 1999 onwards, Supplementary Questions and Answers from July 2000 onwards.  Indexes to select questions from 1984 to 1999, Questions Search and list of nodal officers in the Ministries/Departments.

<b>(iv) Debates:</b> Contains the Text of the daily debates, Synopsis of Debates, Debates with various search facilities from October 1999 onwards, Constituent Assembly Debates and the instances of wit and humour.

<b>(v) Legislation:</b> Contains the content and the text of Government/Private members Bills introduced in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Title-wise, Members/Ministry-wise, Category-wise search options are available.  Details regarding Gazette of India notification and dates of passage in Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha for the particular Bill are also available.

<b>(vi) Papers Laid on the Table of the House:</b>  Papers Laid on the Table of the Lok Sabha with search facility are available from December 2013 onwards.

<b>(vii) Committees:</b> Contains the information with regard to the composition, subject selected, bills referred, sittings, schedules, study tours, reports presented and action taken statement on action taken reports.

<b>(viii) Secretariat:</b> Contains Organization Chart, Recruitment Rules, Recruitment results and Publications available on Sale, Tenders issued by Lok Sabha Secretariat, etc.

In addition to the above, the Virtual Tour of Parliament House and Parliament Library, general information about Parliament, Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, Directions by the Speaker, Government of India Manual on Parliamentary Work and Government Instructions on dealings with M.Ps are also made available on the Home Page. Links to  Rajya Sabha; other Parliaments; Inter Parliamentary Union; Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; President of India; Prime Minister; Ministries; States and UTs; Election Commission; Indian Courts; High Courts and Supreme Court have also been provided under the icons 'Legislative Sites', 'Judicial/Legal Sites' and 'Official Sites' on the Lok Sabha Home Page.

A website on Legislative Bodies in India (http://legislativebodiesinindia.nic.in) which contains the webpages of all the Legislatures at one place, is also being maintained by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. Similarly, webpages for Conference Branch and RTI and are also linked to the Homepage.

<h2>Lok Sabha Speaker's Website</h2> (http://speakerloksabha.nic.in)

A separate Homepage has been developed for Lok Sabha Speaker, which inter alia contains the profile of the present Speaker, his/her political and personal achievements, role of the Speaker, events attended, speeches and press releases.  Apart from this, the profiles of all the former Speakers along with their respective terms of office are available in this section.

<h2>Speaker's Research Initiative</h2> (http://sri.nic.in)

Speaker’s Research Initiative (SRI) was inaugurated on 23 July 2015 by Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The website of SRI provides information relating to the workshops organised by the SRI, meetings of SRI groups, Fellowship schemes, Internship programmes etc. It also provides information regarding events attended by the Speaker, Lok Sabha, video clippings and photo gallery of the workshops by SRI. Besides, the website also provides information regarding Publications, Resources, SRI in news, etc.

<h2>Press and Public Relation</h2>   (http://pprloksabha.nic.in)

An  interactive website  for Press and Public Relations (PPR) has been developed which caters to the needs of the Press and provide all possible facilities to enable them to cover the day-to-day proceedings of Lok Sabha. The website contains information with regard to the Press Advisory Committee, Press Releases, Floral Tributes, Statement of work, Facilities to Media, Media Accreditation Index, etc. The website also provides a link to the Photo Gallery where the photographs of Parliamentary events are placed.  The social media platforms of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, viz. Twitter and Facebook are also on the website.  It is a responsive portal that is fully functional across various screen sizes and devices.

<h2>Parliament Museum Website</h2>  (http://parliamentmuseum.org)

The interactive website of the Parliament Museum was launched by the Speaker of Lok Sabha on 19 December 2007. The website tells the story of India's democratic heritage spanning over 2500 years. This story is woven with the help of walk-through period settings with sound–light-video animation, large-screen interactive computer multi-media, animatronics, impressive visualization with multi-screen panoramic projection. The user can take part in quiz on Indian democracy, choose picture post-cards and e-mail and make suggestions or ask questions to the Museum.


<h2>Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training (BPST) Website</h2>   (http://bpst.nic.in)


This website provides information relating to Orientation Programmes, Lectures, Seminars for Members and Training Programmes and Study Visits/Tours for Government Officials. It also provides information relating to Appreciation Courses organized for Probationers of All India Services, International Training Programmes for Parliamentary and Government Officials, etc.

<h2>Lok Sabha Television Channel (LSTV) Website</h2>   (http://loksabhatv.nic.in)

In order to keep abreast with the new technological developments, LSTV has launched a refurbished website which aspires to move from television screen to computers, laptops and mobile phone. The content of the website not only aims to telecast the live proceedings of the Lok Sabha but also contains a lot of new features such as speeches of President of India, Speaker, Lok Sabha and Prime Minister of India, Question Hour. Another section is devoted to Quiz covering questions related to Democracy, Parliament and Constitution. A section related to "Special Moments" is dedicated to Conferences, Parliamentary programmes and events and other important Parliament activities in Parliament House Complex and outside. In addition, LSTV website has been made informative by providing links for oath taking of all the Members of Sixteenth Lok Sabha on a 'click' of a button. The mobile app has been developed to help the citizens to access information on LSTV, its programmes and proceedings of the House.


<h2>Parliament Digital Library Website</h2>  (http://eparlib.nic.in)

Parliament Digital Library provides information about various parliamentary documents of Lok Sabha, the House of People. The debates of Lok Sabha, from the First Lok sabha to the Sixteenth Lok Sabha are placed in this portal. The Reports of several Parliamentary Committees, Presidential Addresses to Parliament, Budget Speeches, and several publications of the Lok Sabha Secretariat are also part of its collections. The treasured and historic legislative debates, tracing the growth and development of modern parliamentary institutions in India, from 1858 to 1952, thereby covering the period of 95 years, is being uploaded periodically. The portal provides the users a single window information retrieval technology with filtered and federated search from multiple searchable resources.

<h2>Parliament Library Website</h2>  (http://parliamentlibraryindia.nic.in)

The website provides information relating to the Parliament Library collections, new additions to the Library, e-resources and various services available to Members of Parliament. The activities of Parliament Library have been automated by using an indigenously developed commercial software package 'LIBSYS'. The catalogue of the Library can be accessed online through the Parliament Library website.

<h2>Members e-Portal</h2>

As an initiative towards e-Parliament and Paperless Secretariat, an e-portal for the benefit of Members was launched on 17 July, 2016. The portal offers several online services including submission of notices for various parliamentary devices in electronic form, online references, etc. Through the e-portal, Members of Parliament can interact with the various Branches of the Secretariat online.  Every Member has been given a login ID and password, using which they can access the portal.  Members can submit notices online with respect to Adjournment Motion, Calling Attention Motion, Zero Hour, etc. Schedules, minutes of the Committee Meetings and agenda papers of the Committees and the advance copies of the Bills, their amendments and Private Members Bills are made available on to the Portal for the use of the Members. Members can submit reference request and receive the reference material through the Portal. Members can also send bulk mails and SMS to other Members.


<h2>Lok Sabha Intranet</h2>   (http://164.100.47.193/Intranet/home.aspx)

To bring down the quantum of paper used on a regular basis, various activities of the Lok Sabha Secretariat have been put in an automated format. All circulars/office orders/ memoranda are being uploaded on the intranet for information of all employees. This has considerably reduced the circulation of papers. Through the Intranet site, the employees of the Secretariat can see the documents that are used and consulted frequently. The information available on the Lok Sabha Intranet website inter alia comprises of:-

 
·         Establishment List / Organization Chart

·         Recruitment and Conditions of Service Orders and Rules / Manual on Office Procedure

·         Salary Slips/Leave Record

·         Accommodation Priority List

·         Circulars / Downloadable Forms

·         Telephone Directory / Contact Details of Members/Officers

·         e-mail Addresses of Branches

 

<h2>E-Office System</h2> 

An e-Office system has been implemented in the Lok Sabha Secretariat for electronic File Tracking System, electronic File Management System, electronic Leave Management System and other electronic functionalities.  The following components of the e-Office application are functional:

 
i)       File Management System (eFile);

ii)       Knowledge Management System (KMS);

iii)      Collaboration and Messaging Services (CAMS);

iv)      Leave Management System (eLeave);

v)      Tour Management Syhstem (eTour);

vi)      Personnel Information Management System (PIMS)

 
In addition, the Immovable Property return (IPR), which is part of the Smart Performance Appraisal Report Recording Online window (SPARROW) has also been implemented.

 
The e-Office functionalities are  being managed and maintained by e-Office team of NIC.  For working in e-Office software, each and every employee of the Lok Sabha Secretariat has been provided a email ID on the Sansad Server.

<h2>Computer Facilities to Members of Parliament:</h2>

<b>Scheme of Financial Entitlement to Members of Lok Sabha for purchase of Computer Equipment</b>

Under the 'Provision of Computer Equipment (Members of Lok Sabha) Rules, 2009', a Member of Lok Sabha (who has been elected in General Election or by-election or nominated by the President under article 331 of the Constitution of India) is entitled to purchase computer equipment, i.e. Desktop, Laptop, Printer, Scanner, Palmtop, e-Reader, computer related software, accessories etc., within the monetary ceiling of    Rs.3,00,000/- with effect from 13.01.2015. However, the maintenance and insurance charges of the computer hardware items procured by the Members, under the scheme, are to be borne by the Members themselves.

The ‘Committee on Provision of Computers to Members of Lok Sabha’ looks into the matters concerning the financial entitlement of a member for purchase of computer equipment and other computer related issues.


<b>Members' Query Booth</b>

A Members' Query Booth functions from Room No. FB-91,  Parliament Library Building where Members submit the Proforma Invoice/Bill under the scheme for payment of amount to the dealer or for reimbursement to themselves for the purchase  of the computer equipments.

<b>Computer Equipments to Offices of Legislature Parties</b>

As per provisions of Computer Equipment (Legislature Party in Lok Sabha and Officers) Rules, 2009, legislature Parties which have been allotted accommodation in Parliament House Complex are entitled to one Desktop, one UPS, one Printer and Internet Connection by the Secretariat.  Maintenance of computer equipment are also provided by the Secretariat.  The Leader/Chief Whip of a legislature party is liable to get the computer equipment insured immediately after receiving the same from the Secretariat at the cost of one’s Party. The charges for consumables are also borne by the Party.

Return of computer Equipments: Where a Leader/Chief Whip ceases to be a Leader/Chief Whip or a Member of Lok Sabha, Computer Equipments are returned to the Secretariat

<b>Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) and Wi-Fi facility for the Members</b>

A dedicated Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) and Wi-Fi facility has been made functional in the Chamber of the Lok Sabha with effect from 18.07.2018.  Through this network, Wi-Fi access to Intranet Services of Lok Sabha and various government websites/portals have been provided. For details of government sites members may refer to ‘www.goidirectory.nic.in’.  Members may avail this facility inside the Lok Sabha Chamber through their officially registered mobile or officially registered I-Pad.

<h2>Intranet and E-mail Services</h2>

To facilitate sharing of data and access Internet, a high speed Local Area Network (LAN) has been laid. The LAN has Fibre backbone and is designed capacity of 10 Gbps(inter- building) and 1 Gbps data transfer capacity at backbone to the access switch at the client level.The switches have layer 3 routing capabilities.  They are ideally suited for high performance, high port density, fast Ethernet and gigabit Ethernet aggregation in all parts of the network including the access, distribution and backbone layers as well as the server farm and data centre environments.  The computer connectivity to outside world including Internet is being provided through National Informatics Centre Network known as NICNET at PLB.  The Parliament of India is connected to NICNET at NIC(HQ), CGO Complex through two links of 1Gbps optical fibreone from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and other from MTNL.  All the Users have been provided access to Internet.  Also a dedicate Email Messaging Service with the domain name (sansad.nic.in) is available to all the Members of Parliament and Officers/Sections of the Parliament Secretariats.

<h2>Procurement and Maintenance of Computers</h2>

A number of computers have been installed in the Lok Sabha Secretariat for efficient management of information.  The Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) is constituted with effect from 21.11.2011 under Rule 7 of ‘The Provision of Computer Equipment (Members of Lok Sabha) Rules, 2009’  for technical examination of proposals. An Officers’ Committee on Computerization in Lok Sabha Secretariat has been constituted with effect from 18.10.1999 to discuss and recommend review of demands of computer hardware, Guidelines for issue of computer hardware to Officers and  Branches, upgradation of LAN and Wi-Fi network in Parliament House Complex, Guidelines for Service Level Agreements etc.

Annual Maintenance Contract: The work of maintenance of the computers is entrusted to a vendor/ Firm through Open advertised Tender Enquiry. The firm/ vendor who is awarded the Annual Maintenance Contract sets up a Complaint Redress Centre in Parliament Complex to register the calls regarding maintenance of Computer Hardware from Officers/Branches and to resolve the complaints.  The Complaint Redress Centre also provides telephonic support for the user’s assistance.

<h2>Training</h2>

Orientation programmes are organized regularly at the Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training for the benefit of the MPs & their PA's and officers of the Secretariat in acquiring knowledge and developing/sharpening their skills in various uses of information technology for parliamentary work. These are conducted by specialized agencies like TCS, NIC and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. A Computer Training Room has been set up in the Parliament Library Building to conduct regular training programmes for members of Parliament, their staff and officers of Parliament.

The Documentation Service of Parliament Library, which was set up in 1975, is primarily responsible for indexing of articles published in periodicals/journals received in the Parliament Library that may be of interest to the Members of Parliament. The indexed entries of selected articles contain bibliographical details such as name of the author, title, name, date and year of publication, suitable annotation and subject headings as per the specially devised scheme of classification. The indexed entries of articles for a fortnight are fed into the e-Granthalaya, an integrated Library Management Software and published in the form of a publication. The bibliographic details of selected articles were earlier published with the title 'Documentation fortnightly' (January 1975 to December 1988). However, from January 1989 onwards, it is being published as 'Parliamentary Documentation'. 

Since August 2008, the Service also brings out a fortnightly publication in Hindi titled 'Sansadiya Pralekhan' so as to cater to the information needs of all users who intend to take bibliographic details of articles appearing in Hindi periodicals/journals being received in the Parliament Library. 

The software of Documentation Service has been shifted from Libsys to e-Granthalaya since August 2023 having facility to link the text of each article with its bibliographical details through Title Link. In this process, the text of each article is being scanned, the PDF file of the same is prepared and linked with the bibliographical details both in English and Hindi. The text of articles can be accessed and retrieved just by clicking the Title from January 2017 onwards through the Digital Sansad Homepage through login ID. 

The electronic versions of 'Parliamentary Documentation' and 'Sansadiya Pralekhan' are being sent to Members of Parliament and officers of the Lok Sabha Secretariat at their email addresses. The Publications are also made available at web addresses: https://sansad.in/ls/library/parliamentaryDocumentation  → for 'Parliamentary Documentation' (In English) and https://sansad.in/ls/hi/library/parliamentaryDocumentation  → for 'Sansadiya Pralekhan' (In Hindi). These publications are also available in Latest Updates of Digital Sansad (https://sansad.in/ls).The Indexed articles may be searched online from various parameters such as name of the author, title of the article, name and year of the publication, subject of the articles etc. through "Catalogue Search on Digital Sansad Homepage (https://eg4.nic.in/PHI/OPAC/) under Knowledge Centre. Important articles on current topics both in English and Hindi are also being uploaded weekly on Digital Sansad  websites in Current Articles/Vartman Lekh for reference purpose.

To make the services more the web links for  "Parliamentary Documentation/Current Articles", “Sansadiya Pralekhan/Vartman Lekh” and “Documentation Service (OPAC)” has been provided on Lok Sabha Intranet portal.

Though the 'Parliamentary Documentation' and the 'Sansadiya Pralekhan' are available on Digital Sansad and Lok Sabha Intranet Homepage, a few computer generated copies of the publications are taken out and kept in the Parliament Library for consultation of Members of Parliament and Officers of both the Secretariats. Bound volumes of 'Documentation Fortnightly' (1975-1988), 'Parliamentary Documentation' (1989 Onwards) and the 'Sansadiya Pralekhan' (August 2008 onwards) are also available for reference purpose.


Micrographic/Microfilming is an established method for preservation of rare and deteriorating documents.  Scientific estimate indicates that the normal life expectancy of the microfilm, with careful handling and storage, is 500 years (approx.) as compared to short life span of digital media.  Microfilming is a legally accepted substitute for the original. In addition, it is protected against viruses or worms and cannot be manipulated by the hackers.  It also has advantage over digital media in terms of capture cost, media life, technological obsolescence and image quality.

For better preservation and future use of the valuable documents/collections of Parliament and its Library viz., Parliamentary Debates, Papers Laid on the Table, Acts and Bills, Committee Reports, Private Papers, Rare Books and Documents, Newspapers (bound volumes), Press Clippings, Documents of Parliamentary Archives and other documents as decided from time to time by the Secretariat, the Microfilming Unit was set up in 1987 as an integral part of LARRDIS, Lok Sabha Secretariat. The latest available state of art microfilming equipments and ancillaries were acquired for smooth functioning of the Unit. The Unit is housed in the Parliament Library Building. All documents were microfilmed on 16mm rolls, except those of larger size like Papers Laid on the Table of the House, which were microfilmed on 35mm film rolls.

The Unit has 1673 microfilm rolls having 33,06,526 exposures of the following documents:

 

<b>Central Legislative Debates/Proceeding, etc.</b>


1.      Indian Legislative Council Debates               :         02.01.1858 to 16.9.1920
 
2.       Central Legislative Assembly Debates          :         3.2.1921 to 12.4.1947

3.       Council of States Debates                              :        3.2.1921 to 19.5.1954

4.       Constituent Assembly Debates (Legislative)     :        17.11.1947 to 24.12.1949

5.       Constituent Assembly Debates                   :         9.12.1946 to 24.1.1950
          [(Draft making) (Hindi)]

6.       Constituent Assembly Debates                     :         9.12.1946 to 24.1.1950
          [(Draft making) (English)]

7.       Parliamentary Debates (Provisional              :         28.1.1950 to 13.5.1954
          Parliament and House of the People)  

8.       Lok Sabha Debates (Original Version)          :        14.05.1954 to 27.08.1984

9.       Lok Sabha Debates (Hindi)                          :        15.01.1985 to 26.02.2009

          (Translated Version)

10.     Lok Sabha Debates (English)                       :        15.01.1985 to 04.08.2009

          (Translated Version)

11.     Rajya Sabha Debates (Hindi)                        :        15.2.1956 to 2.6.1995

(Translated Version)

12.     Rajya Sabha Debates (Original Version)       :         23.8.1954 to 25.3.2011  

13.     Indices of Debates         :

(a)         Lok Sabha   :       

(i)       1952 to 1955

(ii)      1956 to 1958 (11.08.1958 to 27.09.1958 A to R)

(iii)    1959 to 1961

(iv)    06.08.1962 to 07.09.1962

(v)     08.11.1962 to 18.06.1966

(vi)    25.07.1966 to 30.08.1968, 11.11.1968 to 20.12.1968 (Part-I)

(vii)   11.11.1968 to 20.12.1968 (Part-II), 17.02.1969 to 04.09.1970, 09.11.1970 to 18.12.1970 (Part-I), 09.11.1970 to 18.12.1970 (Part-II)

(viii) 19.03.1971 to 16.05.1973, 23.07.1973 to 06.02.1976, 08.03.1976 to 23.12.1978

(ix)    19.02.1979 to 18.05.1979 (Part-IA to T), 19.02.1979 to 18.05.1979 (Part-I: T to 24.12.1981)

(x)     18.02.1982 to 27.08.1984

(xi)    15.01.1985 to 12.05.1987

(b)         Rajya Sabha & Council of States Debates: (Indexes)

(i)       1921 to 14.09. 1957

(ii)      8.11.1957 to 11.04.1967

(iii)    22.05.1967 to 23.12.1972

(iv)    1973 to 31.08.1978 (Part-I Subject Index)

(v)     17.07.1978 to 31.08.1978 (Name Index)

(vi)    20.11.1978 to 25.03.1983

         

14.     Parliamentary Committees:

(i)      Committee on Public Accounts     :        1st Lok Sabha to 10th Lok Sabha        

(Upto 31st Report)

(ii)      Committee on Estimates             :         1st Lok Sabha to 10th Lok Sabha

(Upto 18th Report)

(iii)     Public Undertakings Committee1 :         3rd Lok Sabha to 10th Lok Sabha

                                                                             (Upto 32nd Report)               

(iv)     Committee on the Welfare of      :         4th Lok Sabha to 10th Lok Sabha

SCs and STs2                                              (Upto 37th Report)


(v)     Committee on Subordinate          :         1st Lok Sabha to 8th Lok Sabha

Legislation                                                  (Upto 21st Report)           


(vi)     Committee on Government         :         1st Lok Sabha to 8th Lok Sabha

Assurance                                                  (Upto 12th Report)


(vii)    Committee on Petitions              :         1st Lok Sabha to 10th Lok Sabha

(Upto 17th Report)


(viii)   Railway Convention Committee :         1943 to 14th Lok Sabha

                                                                             (Upto 3rd Report)  

(ix)     Joint Committee on Salaries  :           1954 to 1989

          and Allowances of MPs

(x)     Committee on Papers Laid    :            5th Lok Sabha to 10th Lok Sabha

on the Table3                                               (Upto 12th Report)


(xi)     Committee on Empowerment :          12th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

of Women4                                                   (Upto 3rd  Report)                     
                  

15.     Reports of Departmentally Related Standing Committees:


(i)      Committee on Petroleum &    :            10th Lok Sabha to 12th Lok Sabha

Chemicals5                                                   (Upto 8th Report)

 
(ii)      Committee on Defence6       :            10th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

                                                                   (Upto 4th Report)
                 

(iii)     Committee on External Affairs7:          10th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

(English)                                                      (Upto 23rd report)

 

(iv)     Committee on External Affairs  :          10th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

(Hindi)                                                         (Upto 23rd report)

 
(v)     Committee on Food Civil Supplies :       10th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

and Public Distribution8                                 (Upto 8th report)
                  

(vi)     Committee on Agriculture9           :       10th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

(English)                                                      (Upto 30th report)
 

(vii)    Committee on Agriculture             :      10th Lok Sabha to 14th Lok Sabha

(Hindi)                                                         (Upto 30th report)


(viii)   Committee on Water Resources10 :     14th Lok Sabha  (Upto 5th report) 
      

16.     Constitution of India (Calligraphic copy of the original)     

          (English and Hindi)


17.     Presiding Officers Conference     :      1921 to 20.3.2005

          (Agenda, Proceedings, Resolutions,   

          Minutes)               
 

18.     Papers Laid on the Table             :      1980-1986 (LT No.1/80 to 2308/86)

of the House (Lok Sabha)                                      

                  

19.     O&M’s Records :
 

          (i)      Instructional Orders                  :         No. 2 to 1193

          (ii)      Annual Administrative               :         1960 to 2002

Reports

 
20.     Library Records:


(a)     Accession Register (purchase   :         Upto Acc. No. 1,45,230

of books) of Acquisition Section,        

                   LARRDIS      

(b)     Accession Register (Copyright) :         Upto Acc. No. 52,080

of Acquisition Section, LARRDIS
                  

(c)     Bills :


(i)      Official Bills introduced in                     :         1921 to 1952

          Central Legislative Assembly


(ii)      Government Bills introduced                :         1953 to 1992

           in House of People/Lok Sabha


(iii)     Government Bills introduced                :         1953 to 1993

           in Council of  States/Rajya Sabha


21.     Rare Books11                                    :         1272
 

22.     Decisions from the Chair                    :         1921 to March 1996
 

23.     Observations from the Chair                :         1950 to March 1996
 

24.     Directions by the Speaker                   :         1st to 4th Edition


25.     Historical Documents :
 

          (i)      Indian Round Table Conference Proceedings; (1930-1932)

          (ii)      Constituent Assembly of India; Constitutional Precedents 1947

          (iii)     Indian Statutory Commission: Memoranda (1930)

          (iv)     Sardar Patel’s Correspondence (1945 – 1950) (Vols.  I to X)

          (v)     Indian Historical Records Commission-Proceedings (1920-1960)

          (vi)     Partition Proceedings – Expert Committee No. I  (1947-1949)    (2 Vols)

          (vii)    Indian Record Series-Fort William-India House

                   Correspondence : Vols.  II to IV and other contemporary papers and Vols. VI to XXI

                                           
26.     Publications etc.:

          (i)      Journal of Parliamentary            :         April 1955 to December 2007

Information

(ii)      Parliament of India          :         1st to 10th Lok Sabha

(Souvenir)

(iii)     Who’s Who, Lok Sabha             :         1967-1999

(Hindi)

(iv)     Who’s Who, Lok Sabha             :         1950-1999

(English)

(v)     Who’s Who, Rajya Sabha          :         1970, 1972 & 1974

(Hindi)

(vi)     Who’s Who, Rajya Sabha          :         1952-2000

                   (English)

(vii)    Rajya Sabha Members’              :         1952-1990

Biographical Sketches

(viii)   Reports of Indian                       :         1950-1998

Parliamentary Group


27.     Parliamentary Museum & Archives Collections:

(i)      Private Papers of G.V. Mavalankar                         :         200 pages

 

(ii)      Private Papers of Prof. N.G. Ranga                        :         4919 pages

 

(iii)     Private Papers of Shri Jwala Prasad Jyotishi :         742 pages

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1     Public Undertakings Committee was initially constituted on 1 May 1964 in 3rd Lok Sabha

2     Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs was initially constituted in November 1968 in 4th Lok Sabha.

3     Committee on Papers Laid on the Table was initially constituted on 1 June 1975 in 5th Lok Sabha.

4      Committee on empowerment of Women was initially constituted on 29 April 1997 in 11th Lok Sabha.

5,6,7,8,9      Committee on Petroleum & Chemicals; Defence; External Affairs; Food Civil Supplies & Public Distribution  and Agriculture were initially constituted on 8 April 1993 in 10th Lok Sabha.

10    Committee on Water Resources was initially constituted on 5th August 2007 in 14th Lok Sabha.

11    All the books identified as rare books by the Parliament Library have been microfilmed.

The Press Clipping Service was started on a modest scale in the year 1956 with the objective of speedy disposal of references on current topics received from members of Parliament and others.  The Service collects all important, relevant and up-to-date news items, editorial comments and articles on developments in the legislative, political, economic, socio-cultural, scientific and technological fields.  The clippings are taken from 11 Hindi and 18 English Newspapers published from various parts of the country. Hindi newspapers are – Business Standard, Dainik Jagran, Economic Times, Hindustan, Jan Satta, Nav Bharat Times, Rashtriya Sahara, (all from New Delhi), Aaj (Varanasi), Lokmat Samachar (Nagpur), Punjab Kesari (Panipat), Rajasthan Patrika (Jaipur).  English newspapers include- Asian Age, Business Standard, Economic Times, Financial Express, Hindu Business Line, Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Pioneer, Statesman, The Hindu, Times of India, Tribune (all from New Delhi), Assam Tribune (Guwahati), Deccan Herald (Bangalore), Free Press Journal (Mumbai), Kashmir Times (Jammu), Telegraph (Kolkata), The Hindu (Chennai). 

       Press clippings are used extensively by members, Research and Reference staff and also by different Branches of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha Secretariats, research scholars visiting the Parliament Library and accredited press correspondents.

       Since 2017 the Press Clipping Service has been fully computerised, The pdf files of every selected news items prepared and uploaded on a specially designed software developed by NIC. These press clippings can be accessed and retrieved subject-wise, date-wise, newspaper-wise and classification no. wise through Parliament Library Homepage from the computers connected in the Local Area Network in Parliament House Complex.

     The press clippings belongs to pre 2017 era  are maintained chronologically in subject folders and stacked in a proper sequence according to a specially devised classification scheme based on the Dewey Decimal Classification System.  These folders are not issued out but can be consulted in the Reading Rooms of the Parliament Library and the Press Clipping Section.

     Press clippings are retained for five years.  However, important clippings of archival value and those having a bearing on constitutional, parliamentary and legal developments are retained permanently.

Latest Press Clippings

 The Press and Public Relations Wing was set up in April 1956 to cater to the needs of the Press and to provide all possible facilities to enable them to cover the day-to-day proceedings of Lok Sabha and to liaise with the correspondents covering Parliament and various Government publicity organizations and communication media for the proper publicity of parliamentary and other activities of Lok Sabha.
 
The functions of the Press and Public Relations Wing are:
 
       (i).       All work connected with the Press Gallery involving issue of Press Gallery passes for Session periods, admission of Newspapers/News agencies/Electronic media to Press Gallery, processing requests for Central Hall facilities and grant of Press Gallery passes under the category of "Long & Distinguished Service".
 
      (ii).     Liaison with Government publicity organizations and communication media, Press correspondents, newspapers and other bodies.
 
    (iii).    Publicity of Parliament's activities through Press Releases/communiqués. Photo/TV coverage of various functions organized and held in Parliament House/Parliament House Annexe/Parliament Library Building. Setting up of Media Centres in case of International Conferences, Seminars, Symposia etc.
 
     (iv).    Publication of pamphlets, folders, charts etc. on various parliamentary activities and their distribution to general public.
 
      (v).      Supply of information and publicity materials relating to the work of Parliament to the general public, institutions, research scholars and others.
 
     (vi).    Display of tele-printer news for members of Parliament in Parliament precincts.
 
   (vii).   Maintenance of a Library for the Press.
 
  (viii).  Grant of permission to the Ministries/Departments, etc. for holding exhibitions in the precincts of Parliament in their specified field of activities for members of Parliament.
 
     (ix).    Grant of permission for taking film shots of Parliament House/Parliament House Annexe/ Parliament Library Building.
 
      (x).      Lok Sabha Calendars.
 
     (xi).    Lok Sabha Research Fellowships.
 
   (xii).   Nodal agency for publication of advertisements on behalf of Lok Sabha Secretariat.
 
  (xiii).  Social Media platforms of Lok Sabha Secretariat.



The Publications Unit was set up in August 1989 to co-ordinate all the work relating to printing of LARRDIS publications, distribution and maintenance of stock of publications, updating/revision of Information Folders of national leaders whose portraits adorn the Central Hall and departed ex-Speakers’ of the Lok Sabha.The Publications Unit acts as a repository for Lok Sabha Publications.
 
•       Maintenance of stock of publications, attending demands for publications from various Branches of LS/RS, Institutions, Organizations, etc.
•       Updating the Stock Register of LSS/LARRDIS periodicals/publications received from time to time.
•       Providing stock position of various publications to the concerned branches so as to enable them to make decision regarding print order of the same.
•       Updating/revision of Information Folders of national leaders whose portraits adorn the Central Hall and former Speakers of the Lok Sabha and distribute the same.
•       Liaisoning with concerned sections of the LARRDIS, Printing Branch, Rota Print, Bindery Section and ‘D’ Branch for timely publication/distribution of all  LARRDIS publications.



The Reprography Service of Parliament Library, set up in 1975, caters to the urgent official photocopying needs of members of Parliament, Ex-members of parliament, research scholars, media persons accredited to the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha Galleries (for photocopying of the important press clippings, Parliamentary questions & debates, articles in newspapers, periodicals, extracts from books and other documents) & officers and Braches of the Secretariat.

The Service has three distinct Units:-

1.     Members’ Reprography & Typing Unit, Parliament House:- Located at 045, Ground Floor in Library Reading Hall, Parliament House provides facilities of photocopying and typing in Hindi & English of personal correspondence/documents of members'/Ex- members' of Parliament and party offices on free of cost basis.

2.     Members’ Reprography Unit, Parliament Library Building:- Located at Room No. G-037 in the Ground Floor, PLB provides the photocopy service to members/Ex-members of Parliament, on free of cost basis and Researcher scholar, Journalist & others Rs- 1/- per copy.

3.     Research/Reference Reprography and Unit, Parliament Library Building:- Located at Room No. FB 54 and 54 A, PLB the Unit exclusively meets the photocopying needs of officers, branches of the Secretariat & offices of the Chairmen of Committees.

The Research and Information Service is categorized into the following self-contained specialized functional Wings or Sections identified by the subjects handled by each:

·       Economic and Financial Affairs Wing
·       Educational and Scientific Affairs Wing
·       Legal and Constitutional Affairs Wing
·       Parliamentary Affairs Wing
·       Political Affairs Wing
·       Social Affairs Wing
·       JPI Section
·       Practice and Procedure Unit
·       Who's Who Cell

<b>Functions</b>

       The functions of the Research Division are broadly to assess in advance the information requirements of members by anticipating and identifying subjects of current parliamentary interest, including legislative measures on which Parliament is likely to undertake discussions and which are likely to generate demands from members for detailed information and data.
Every effort is made to keep members of Parliament informed of the current developments, both national and international, in various fields by bringing out brochures, information bulletins, background notes, fact sheets, etc. which carry objective information. Handy pamphlets are also prepared and circulated for the use of members.  All these publications are based on authentic published sources and continuous efforts are made to keep these up-to-date.

<b>Publications</b>

The Research Division brings out a large number of important publications, monographs, booklets, brochures, etc., from time to time, delineating the various aspects of parliamentary functioning and also on parliamentary practices and procedures.  The renowned treatise, Kaul and Shakdher's Practice and Procedure of Parliament is periodically revised and updated by the Research Service.  With a view to reviving the memory of eminent parliamentarians who played a   pivotal role in the country's freedom struggle and contributed substantially towards the development of parliamentary system, several monographs have been brought out under the Eminent Parliamentarians Monograph Series/Commemorative Volumes.

 The Research and Information division brings out publications containing the profiles and select photographs of eminent parliamentarians and public leaders whose statues and portraits are unveiled in the Parliament Complex from time to time. Brief profiles of national leaders including   former Speakers of Lok Sabha are also brought out by the Division for distribution among dignitaries at the floral tributes functions in the Central Hall of Parliament.
The Research Division also prepares speeches, briefs, resolutions on diverse issues for use of the Hon’ble Speaker and the members of Indian Parliamentary Delegation when they attend Conferences/Seminars organized by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU), the Conference of the Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth, or other international Conferences. 
The Service also prepares Briefs, Country Notes, Fact Sheets and Background Notes for Indian Parliamentary Delegations going to other countries on goodwill visits or for participating in national and international   Parliamentary Conferences/Seminars/Workshops.
 
Daily Bulletins are issued  by the Research and Information Division during various Conferences organized by the Parliament of India with a view to keep the delegates and participants of the Conference informed and updated of the various Conference-related news, proceedings, daily schedule of the event. Reports on important Conferences carrying select proceedings and highlights of such conferences are also brought about by the Research and Information Division.  

The Research Service also prepares  Secretary General’s D.O. letter to the State Legislatures after the conclusion of each Session of the Lok Sabha. The letter contains all the significant events and important developments taking place in the Lok Sabha from time to time, particularly during the Session.

The Research Division brings out publications entitled Members of Lok Sabha: A Brief introduction and Who’s Who containing biographical information about the members of Lok Sabha when a new Lok Sabha is constituted after general elections. The Division also brings out Profiles Handbook during the Conferences and Seminars held in India for the use of delegates.  The Division maintains and updates [in coordination with Computer (Software) Unit/NIC] the Members Homepage on the website www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/www.loksabha.nic.in.

The Research and Information Division publishes the following journals for the use of members:

<b>The Journal of Parliamentary Information (Quarterly):</b>  This Journal serves as an authentic recorder of developments in practice and procedure and parliamentary events and activities in Indian and foreign Legislatures. It also carries practice and problem oriented articles on constitutional and parliamentary subjects from members of Parliament and other experts in the field.

<b>IPG Newsletter (Quarterly):</b>  This Newsletter keeps members of the Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) informed of the various events and activities of the IPG like exchange of Parliamentary Delegations, IPU, CPA and Association of  SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians Conferences, Seminars, Symposia, Meetings, etc.



As the main Library of Parliament is primarily meant for the use of members of the two Houses, a separate Library for the benefit of the parliamentary staff was set up in the early sixties.  The Staff Library is administered by the Library Division and caters to the staff members of both the Secretariats, i.e. the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and the Lok Sabha Secretariat.  The officers and staff of the two Secretariats, on becoming members, are permitted to borrow books in accordance with the Library rules and conditions.

    The Staff Library helps in enhancing the reading habits of its members and, therefore, books are also added to the Library from time to time as per suggestions received from staff members.  The present holdings of the Staff Library are around  34515. It also receives 14 daily newspapers (7 English;      5 Hindi;  1 Punjabi; 1 Urdu) and 31 periodicals (17 English and 14 Hindi) regularly.

    Nearly 50-60 new books are added to the Staff  Library every month.  All Library acquisitions are processed and classified according to the 22nd edition of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme (DDCS).

    In line with the ongoing process of computerization of various activities of the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the Staff Library has also automated its activities with the installation of a library software, Software for University Library (SOUL) for providing better and efficient services to its users.

    It is customary for the Staff Library to withdraw from the shelves old publications of which the latest editions are available and those having limited utility.  The books thus withdrawn are offered to the staff members free of cost.