New Delhi, June 12: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday approved the policy on archiving, declassification and compilation of histories of wars and operations by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
“Timely publication of war histories would give people accurate account of the events, provide authentic material for academic research and counter the unfounded rumours,” the MoD’s statement noted.
In a significant decision, the MoD issued the policy under which each organisation under it such as the Army, Air Force, Navy, Integrated Defence Staff, Assam Rifles and Indian Coast Guard, will transfer the records — including war diaries, letters of proceedings and operational record books — to the ministry’s History Division for proper upkeep, archival and writing of histories.
“The responsibility for declassification of records rests with the respective organisations as specified in the Public Record Act 1993 and the Public Record Rules 1997,” the MoD’s statement noted. (PTI)
