The National Archives of India (NAI), under the Ministry of Culture, is organizing an exhibition titled “Sushan aur Abhilekh 2025’ to commemorate the Good Governance Month. The exhibition will be organised at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, on Friday.
In a statement issued here, the Ministry of Culture stated that cleanliness and good governance are integral to a prosperous society, shaping public conduct, social interactions, and effective implementation of welfare programmes.
Between 2021 and 2025, various government ministries, departments, and public sector undertakings carried out a massive records management exercise, identifying and transferring over 75,500 historically valuable documents to the National Archives of India.
The exhibition will showcase a curated selection of these records, highlighting the importance of transparency, accountability, and record-keeping as pillars of good governance.
A special section of the exhibition pays tribute to eminent leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Through these narratives, the exhibition underscores the dynamic relationship between governance and archival preservation in shaping the nation’s developmental story, the Ministry said.
The exhibition presents valuable records from various ministries, illustrating India’s governance and developmental journey. It includes records on the elevation of General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw to the rank of Field Marshal and key ceremonial documents (President’s Secretariat), the introduction of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and electoral reforms (Election Commission of India), documents related to Vijay Diwas celebrations and the advancement of Panchayati Raj (Ministry of Home Affairs), records on major infrastructure projects like the Tehri Dam and Sardar Sarovar Dam (Ministry of Power).
The participating ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Ministry of Railways, and National Archives of India, will present key documents, reflecting legislative reforms, trade agreements, water resource management, legal evolution, international diplomacy, and technological innovation in the railway sector.
Established on 11th March 1891 at Kolkata as the Imperial Record Department, the National Archives of India was later relocated to New Delhi in 1937, with its iconic building designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens completed in 1926. It serves as the nodal agency for the implementation of the Public Records Act, 1993 and Public Records Rules, 1997.
Currently, the NAI holds over 34 crore pages of public records, encompassing official files, volumes, maps, treaties, rare manuscripts, private papers, cartographic records, Gazettes, Census reports, assembly and parliamentary debates, and proscribed literature.