THE LIBRARY, REFERENCE, RESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION AND INFORMATION SERVICE (LARRDIS)

Transcription

1 THE LIBRARY, REFERENCE, RESEARCH, DOCUMENTATION AND INFORMATION SERVICE (LARRDIS) 50. GENERAL RESEARCH UNIT, PUBLICATIONS & WHO'S WHO UNIT AND LIBRARY & REFERENCE UNIT The Library, Reference, Research, Documentation and Information Service (LARRDIS) was restructured vide Office Order Part-I No. 4/2008- PERL dated the 19th September 2008, into 8 Units namely: General Research Unit (Unit 1), Publications and Who's Who Unit (Unit 2), Library and Reference Unit (Unit 3), Media, Education and Audio-Visual Unit (Unit 4), Research Unit-I (Unit 5), Research Unit-II (Unit 6), Research Unit-III (Unit 7) and Research Unit-IV (Unit 8). With the restructuring of the LARRDIS, the erstwhile Research & Library Section and Press and Media Unit were merged with the aforesaid Units. The various tasks performed by the General Research Unit, Publications & Who s Who Unit and Library & Reference Unit during the period 1 st January to 31 st December 2015 are mentioned below: 50.1 GENERAL RESEARCH UNIT The items of work entrusted to the General Research Unit are as follows: (i) Attending to references made by the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the Secretary-General on constitutional questions and questions concerning parliamentary procedure. (ii) Preparation of Reference notes/legislative briefs/background Papers for use of Members of Rajya Sabha. (iii) Preparation of notes on the Parliament of various countries, along with a comparative fact sheet for use of Hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha. (iv) Preparation of speeches, interventions, messages, articles, research notes, etc. (v) Preparation of answers to Questionnaires received from international bodies like Inter- Parliamentary Union (I.P.U.), Association of Secretaries- General of Parliaments (A.S.G.P.), Society of the Clerks-at-the-Table and Foreign Parliaments. (vi) Preparation of Documentation of Acts of national importance passed by the Parliament. (vii) Furnishing of information sought by various national and international bodies. (viii) Preparation of Sessional Review to be published in the Journal of Parliamentary Information (JPI), brought out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. (ix) (x) (xi) Preparation of Paras for inclusion in Rajya Sabha Bulletin Part II for information of Members of Rajya Sabha. Preparation of Letter relating to sessions of Rajya Sabha from the Secretary General, Rajya Sabha to the Secretary General, Lok Sabha. Work relating to Dr. S. Radhakrishanan Chair and Rajya Sabha Fellowships Research and Reference Work: (a) Notes on the following topical issues and Bills likely to be taken up for discussion during the sessions were prepared: (i) Census data on population in the context of different religious communities in India. (ii) Minimum Wages (Amendment) Bill. 274

2 (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) (xv) (xvi) (xvii) (xviii) (xix) (xx) (xxi) (xxii) (xxiii) (xxiv) (xxv) (xxvi) (xxvii) India-US relations in the context of the visit of US President, Barack Obama. Alleged dilution of nuclear liability Law. Black money. Climate Change. Outbreak of Swine Flu in the country. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Ordinance and the Opposition Parties Challenging the Ordinance Route to Legislation. One Rank One Pension (OROP) for Ex-servicemen. L affaire Maggi : Consumer Protection and Celebrity Endorsement. Outbreak of seasonal influenza. Agitation by Ex-servicemen for OROP. Appointment of Chairman in the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). Vyapam Scam in Madhya Pradesh. Recent revelations in the Lalit Modi Case. Attack by a militant group in Manipur, killing and injuring soldiers. Murder of a Journalist in Uttar Pradesh. India-China relationship in the context of PM's visit to China. Prime Minister's recent visit to Russia and some other Asian Countries. Situation arising out of terrorist attack in Paris. Situation in North-East India. Steep rise of prices of pulses in the country. Rising incidents of intolerance in the country. Green Tax for commercial vehicles. Issues concerning commercial surrogacy in India. Recent developments in Indo-Nepal relations. Farmers' suicides in various parts of the country. 27 Notes on topical issues and Bills likely to be taken up for discussions during the sessions were prepared. In 2016, approximately 30 such Notes are likely to be prepared. (b) Legislative Synopsis for the following Bills pending in Rajya Sabha were prepared:- (i) The Whistleblowers' Protection (Amendment) Bill, (ii) The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, (iii) The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Amendment Bill, (iv) The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, (v) The Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, (vi) The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, (vii) The Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill, (viii) The Companies (Amendment) Bill, (ix) Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill, (x) The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies (Third) Bill, (xi) The Seamen's Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill, (xii) The Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, (xiii) The Anti-Hijacking Bill, (xiv) Assam Legislative Council Bill, (xv) The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, (xvi) Rajasthan Legislative Council Bill, (xvii) The Drugs & Cosmetics (Amendment) Bill, Background papers on Bills pending in Rajya Sabha were prepared during the year. During 2016, approximately 12 Background papers are likely to be prepared. 275

3 (c) Comparative notes on Parliaments for Hon'ble Chairman: Comparative notes on the Parliaments of India and the Parliaments of Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bhutan, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Russia, Serbia, and South Korea were prepared for use of the Hon'ble Chairman and Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha during the visits of foreign parliamentary delegations. Besides, Record of Discussion of the meeting of Hon ble Chairman with the Russian Parliamentary Delegation was also prepared. Notes on Parliament of 11 countries were prepared in In 2016, approximately 20 Notes on Parliaments are likely to be prepared. (d) Speeches/Interventions/Notes/Communications for various Conferences: During the year 2015, the following Speeches/Interventions/ Notes/Communications for various Conferences were prepared for use of the Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and the Secretary-General: For Hon'ble Deputy Chairman: 1. Two (2) speeches on the following topics were prepared for use during the Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in India held in Lucknow from 31 January - 1 February, i. Paperless Parliament. ii. Role of Parliament in Development. 2. Two (2) speeches on the following topics were prepared for use during the Fifth CPA India Region Conference held in from February 2015 : i The Legislators and their Representational Role: Need for uninterrupted ii functioning of Legislatures. Optimum utilization of parliamentary processes and devices for good governance and pursuing matters of public importance to their logical conclusion. 3. Fact sheet on the Parliament of India was also updated for use during the CPA Conference. 4. Three (3) Speeches/Interventions and possible Questions and Answers were prepared on the following topic for use at the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, United Nations Headquarters, New York (USA) from 31 August-2 September 2015: i. Placing Democracy at the Service of Peace and Sustainable Development, Building the World the People Want. ii. Translating SDGs into action. iii. Parliamentary Oversight: Challenges and Opportunities. 5. Comments on the following Conference Reports of the IPU presented during the 4 th Conference of Speakers of Parliament held in New York from 31 August - 2 September 2015 were prepared: i. Parliamentary involvement in the shaping and implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goals. ii. Mainstreaming gender equality into the work of Parliaments. iii. Challenges facing Parliaments today. iv. Implementation of major recommendations of previous Speakers' Conferences and the growing parliamentary dimension to international cooperation. 6. Briefs/Speaking Points on the following topics were prepared for use during the 23 rd CSPOC held in Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia from 9 14 January 2016: i. Orientation and Development for Parliamentarians: ii. iii. iv. For Secretary-General: Parliamentary Privilege Protecting the Effective Functioning of Democracies. The challenges facing the independence of Speakers. Role of Speakers in Security of Parliaments and their precincts. 276

4 1. Outline of the Address and Address by SG at the Conference of Secretaries of Legislative Bodies in India held at Lucknow in January, 2015 were prepared. 2. Notes were taken of the speeches delivered in the Secretaries Conference held in Lucknow. 3. The following five write-ups/notes were prepared for use at the ASGP meeting held in Hanoi, Vietnam in March/April 2015: i. Interfacing with Public through Parliamentary Television Channels. ii. Public and Media Relations. iii. Finding the structure of a parliamentary secretariat with maximum efficiency. iv. Lobbyists and Interest Groups: the other aspects of the Legislative Process. v. Politics in Parliament. 4. Outline of a paper on the topic Interfacing with Public through Parliamentary Television Channels to be presented during 52 nd meeting of the SOCATT in Islamabad, Pakistan from 3-8 October, 2015 was prepared. 5. Five(5) Notes/ Briefs on the following topics were prepared for use during the general debate at the ASGP Meeting held in Geneva (Switzerland) in October 2015: i. The Social Composition of Parliament. ii. The impact of direct election of Committee Chairs. iii. The prevention of conflicts of interest in Parliament. iv. India's position on Climate Change. v. Parliamentary control over subordinate legislation. For Rajya Sabha delegates 1. Briefs on the following topics were prepared for use of the Rajya Sabha delegates during the 132 nd Assembly of the IPU held in Hanoi, Vietnam in March/April, 2015: i. Cyber Warfare- a serious threat to peace and global security. ii. The Sustainable Development Goals. Turning words into action. iii. Shaping a new system of water governance: Promoting parliamentary iv. action on water. International Law as it relates to national sovereignty, non-intervention in the internal affairs of States and human rights. 2. Briefs/ Interventions were prepared on the following topics for use of the Rajya Sabha Delegates during the general debate at the 133 rd Assembly of the IPU held in Geneva, Switzerland from October 2015: i. Draft outcome document on UN Climate Change Conference, Paris (France). ii. The moral and economic imperative for fairer, smarter and more humane migration. iii. Ensuring lasting protection against destruction and deterioration for the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of humanity. iv. Democracy in the digital era and the threat to privacy and individual freedoms. v. Terrorism: The need to enhance global cooperation against the threat to democracy and individual rights. vi. Role of International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the settlement of international disputes. vii. UN Peace Building Commission (PBC). viii. Recommendations to further improve the work of PBC. ix. Parliamentary Oversight and political will. A total of 44 speeches/notes/concept papers were prepared for various conferences in The number is likely to be approximately 40 in (e) Speeches/ Addresses/ Messages/ Articles: During the year 2015, following speeches/ addresses/ articles/ messages/ write-ups were prepared for use of the Hon'ble Chairman, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and the Secretary-General: 277

5 For Hon ble Chairman : 1. Draft Hindi message to be published in the 10 th edition of Nutan Pratibimb. For Hon'ble Deputy Chairman: 1. Valedictory address at the National Conference on Mathematics and Computer Applications organised by the Department of Mathematics, Women's Christian College, Chennai in January Message to be included in a booklet proposed to be brought out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on the occasion of 10 th Conference of Chairpersons of Public Accounts Committees (PACs) of Parliament and State/UT legislatures held on 8 September 2015 in Delhi. 3. Message for a commemorative volume to be brought out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on Shri Jagannathrao Joshi. 4. Information at a glance on the following Assemblies were prepared: i. Meghalaya Legislative Assembly. ii. West Bengal Legislative Assembly. For Secretary-General: 1. Write ups/papers were prepared on the following topics: (i) Uniform Civil Code. (ii) Demographic Dividend: A boon or a bane. (iii) Greek Debt Crisis- Background and Developments. (iv) Net Neutrality. A total of 10 references from Hon ble Chairman, Hon ble Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General were attended to in In the year 2016, approximately 28 such references will be attended to Documentation of Acts of National Importance passed by the Parliament Acts of national importance passed by the Parliament were documented in the form of compendiums. Each of the compendium included an executive summary of the Bill along with the copy of the Bill as introduced, Report of the DRPSC/ Select Committee, debates in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha (as reproduced from synopsis of debates), copy of the Bill as passed and a reading list of reference. The first Compendium of the National Food Security Act, 2013 was brought out in The second Compendium on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (English version) was brought out in The printed copies were distributed as per the approved scheme. The manuscript of the English and Hindi version of the (Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013) and the manuscript of the Hindi version of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 were sent for printing. 2 compendiums were brought out and manuscript of 1 compendium was prepared in Documentation on 4 Acts are likely to be prepared in FAQs :- Entries in FAQs have been updated. Preparation of a flier on FAQs on Parliament with emphasis on Rajya Sabha was undertaken. The manuscript of the flier has been approved Questionnaires received from International parliamentary bodies like Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Society of Clerks-at-the-Table in Commonwealth Parliaments Replies to the IPU Questionnaire on Parliaments and the SDGs and Questionnaire for the Table Volume for the Year 2014 received from the SOCATT were prepared and sent to Conference and Protocol Section for onward transmission. Replies to 2 questionnaires were prepared in In 2016 replies to 4 questionnaires are likely to be prepared. 278

6 Preparation of Sessional Review: At the end of each Session, a Sessional Review and Statement showing business transacted by the Committees and other Sections during the respective quarter along with the latest Party position was prepared and sent to the Lok Sabha Secretariat for being published in Journal of Parliamentary Information (JPI). As such four such Sessional Reviews relating to the 233 rd, 234 th, 235 th and 236 th Sessions and Statements showing business transacted by the Committees and other Sections were prepared. 4 Sessional Reviews and 4 Statement of Business transacted including latest party positions were also compiled Sessional Letter At the end of each Session, a letter from the Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha addressed to the Secretary-General Lok Sabha was prepared. The said letter contained information on significant developments on parliamentary procedures, points of constitutional or procedural importance, rulings/ observations/directions from the Chair, number of reports presented by the Committees including DRSCs pertaining to Rajya Sabha. Three (3) letters relating to 234 th, 235 th and 236 th Sessions of Rajya Sabha were prepared during Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair and Rajya Sabha Fellowships (i) During the year 2015, 118 official correspondences were made relating to Search & Advisory Committee (SAC). (ii) 3 Meetings of SAC were held on , and (iii) 3 RTI queries were answered relating to the Rajya Sabha Fellowships. (iv) Prof. Peter Ronald desouza was awarded Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair (v) ( ). Two (02) Rajya Sabha Fellowships were awarded to Dr. Hilal Ahmed, Assistant Professor, CSDS, New Delhi and Dr. K.K Kailash, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Central University of Hyderabad. (vi) (a) 1 st installment of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Chair i.e. 20% of Rs. 14 lakh amounting to Rs. 2.8 lakh was released in favour of Prof. Peter Ronald desouza in May Computerization (b) 1 st installment of Rajya Sabha Fellowship i.e. 20% of Rs. 3 lakh amounting to Rs 60,000/- each was released in favour of both Dr. Hilal Ahmed & Dr. K.K. Kailash in March (c) 2 nd installment of Rajya Sabha Fellowship i.e. 30% of Rs. 3 lakh amounting to Rs 90,000/- was released in favour of Dr. Hilal Ahmed in October (d) 4 th installment of Rajya Sabha Fellowship i.e. 20% of Rs. 3 lakh amounting Rs 60,000/- was released in favour of Ms. Suvarne Damle, a Rajya Sabha Fellowship holder for the year , after final report was received from her. 1. Use of INTERNET and LAN: (i) Reference material for speeches, articles, messages and information regarding foreign Parliaments is being accessed from the Internet; (ii) Answers to questionnaires, etc. received from the various international agencies/organisations were also sent through ; (iii) Soft copies of write-ups were ed to office of the Secretary-General. 2. Work done on Computers: (i) All typing work including speeches, messages, articles, addresses, official notes, notes for various conferences, etc. is being done on computers; 279

7 (ii) The compilation of statistical data for the Sessional Review of Rajya Sabha and feedback for Sessional Letter are being done in computers; and (iii) In pursuance of the upkeep of old records and conversion of old records into Compact Discs (CDs), the work done during the year under review was put into a CD. 280

8 50.2 PUBLICATIONS AND WHO S WHO UNIT (LARRDIS) The Main Functions of this Unit are as follows :- (i) This Unit mainly deals with bringing out various publications on parliamentary and procedural matters. (ii) Compilation of Rajya Sabha Who s Who, after every biennial election. (iii) Updating of the publication titled Rajya Sabha Members Biographical Sketches : (iv) Compilation of socio - economic data of Members of Rajya Sabha. (v) Compilation of annual publication, namely 'Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile'. (vi) Updating of ten booklets brought out for distribution to the Members of Rajya Sabha during the Orientation Programme organised for newly elected / nominated Members of Rajya Sabha. (vii) Culling out and compilation of the important Rulings and Observations given by the Chair from the Rajya Sabha Debates. (viii) Culling out and compilation of the instances of wit and humour from the Rajya Sabha Debates. (ix) Distribution of the copies of publications brought out by the LARRDIS. (x) (xi) (xii) (xiii) (xiv) Making publications available at the Rajya Sabha Website. Preparation of paragraphs for inclusion in the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin Part- II informing Members of Rajya Sabha about the availability of various publications brought out by the LARRDIS, Rajya Sabha Secretariat and Lok Sabha Secretariat. Updating/monitoring of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at the Rajya Sabha Website. Attending to reference requests pertaining to the Members of Rajya Sabha received from various quarters. Processing of applications received under the RTI Act, 2005 requesting information relating to the Members of Rajya Sabha Quantum of work done during the year 2015: The volume of work done by this Unit during the year 2015 is given as under: Publications: (a) Rajya Sabha Who s Who, 2014: The publication titled Rajya Sabha Who s Who is brought out after every two years. The bio-data of the Members elected/reelected during the years 2014 and 2015 were compiled and uploaded/updated on the Internet at the Rajya Sabha website after being vetted by the members. Biodata of continuing members were updated on the Internet as and when required. As per the direction of the Hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha, the size of the biodata of each Member is restricted to three printed pages only. However, the detailed bio-data of the Members are available on the Internet at the Rajya Sabha website. The work relating to the compilation of the manuscript of the Rajya Sabha Who s Who 2014 was completed. The approved manuscript was sent for printing. The first proof (running into 670 pages) was checked and queries raised by the Printing Section were resolved. Copy of the proof of the bio-data of Hon ble Chairman, Hon ble Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General was sent to their office for vetting. The printed copies of the publication are awaited. A copy of the proof was also sent to the Translation Section for translation into Hindi. (b) Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2014 : The manuscript of Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2014 was prepared and submitted for approval. Figures therein were compared with the Annual Report The duly approved manuscript was sent to the Printing Section as well as Translation Section for getting it translated into Hindi. (c) Rajya Sabha at Work (updated edition): The 2006 edition of the publication contains 27 chapters, one appendix, subject index and contents pages (Total pages). 281

9 Rajya Sabha at Work is being revised as on 31 December, During the year, 17 chapters (1-9, 11, 13 and 19-24) were approved by the Secretary-General. The corrections/additions/ modifications made by the Secretary-General were incorporated in the Chapters. Out of these, proof copies of 15 Chapters (excluding Chapter 9 and 23) have been received from the press and the same were sent for Secretary-General s perusal. Proof copies received from Printing Section were scrutinised and queries raised by them were resolved. In proof copies of 3 Chapters (Chapter 7,19 and 20), recent significant developments relating to these chapters have been incorporated after Secretary-General s approval. In proof copy of Chapter 13, the diagram relating to Seating Arrangement in the Chamber was acquired from Table Office and sent to Printing Section to incorporate the same at appropriate place in a legible form. All the 17 Chapters approved by Secretary-General were sent for translation. Fifteen (15) Chapters were received back from Translation Section and were sent to the Printing Section. Two chapters (Chapter 18 and 25) were submitted to Secretary- General. Chapter 23 was resubmitted to Secretary-General. Eight Chapters (Chapter 10,12, 14-17, 26 and 27) are being scrutinised /corrections carried out at different level of officers The manuscript of the publications, namely Rajya Sabha Who s Who 2014 Compendium on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 and Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat : A Performance Profile 2014 were prepared and sent to the Printing Section during the year 2015 for getting them printed The following publications were brought out during the year 2015: (i) Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat A Performance Profile 2013 (English & Hindi) (ii) President s Address and the Motion of Thanks-2013 (iii) Compendium on the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 (iv) Compendium on National Food Security Act, 2013 (Hindi version) New Initiatives: The work relating to the following publications was undertaken during the year 2015 at the direction of the Secretary-General: (a) Rajya Sabha Members Biographical Sketches: (Updated edition): Secretary-General has directed that the publication titled Rajya Sabha Members Biographical Sketches: may be updated by the LARRDIS. The Table Office used to update this publication. The publication contains brief bio-data of all the members of Rajya Sabha from alongwith their photographs. It is updated till November, There are more than 1,800 entries in the publication. The work involves updating the existing entries and addition of new entries relating to the Members elected/nominated after November 2003, till date. The biographical sketches of the Members are being updated on the basis of information published in the biennial editions of the Rajya Sabha Who s Who. The process of compilation of the manuscript was initiated. NIC, Parliament House was requested to provide the Word file of the 2004 edition of the publication. The same was received from NIC. The existing entries in the printed version were checked. The information pertaining to the Obituary References made in the House was culled out from the publication titled Resume of the Business Transacted by Rajya Sabha (200 th Session onwards). The relevant information was updated in the respective entries of the brief bio-data of the concerned Members. Additional entries/brief bio-data of those members elected/nominated after November 2003 were prepared and incorporated at their appropriate places in the alphabetic order. The brief biodata categorised under the alphabets A-C (360 entries) were compiled and submitted for approval. 282

10 (b) Updation of ten booklet series. The work relating to the updation of the following ten booklets has been transferred from the Training Cell to the LARRDIS. These booklets are updated for distribution to the newly elected/nominated Members during the orientation programme held every two years. (i) The Law Making Process (ii) Rajya Sabha Its Contribution to Indian Polity (iii) How to be an Effective Legislator (iv) Information management for Legislators - A Background Note (v) Executive Its Accountability to Parliament (vi) Members Dos & Don ts (vii) Information At A Glance (viii) Committee System in Rajya Sabha (ix) Role of the Leader of the House, Leader of the Opposition and Whips and (x) Parliamentary Privileges Accordingly, a note was sent to the Training Cell to provide the file/notings, etc. regarding the process involved in the updation of the booklets. The same was received from the Training Cell Rulings and Observations from the Chair, Wit and Humour in the House: Culling out of Rulings and Observations given by the Chair and instances of Wit and Humour in the House from the uncorrected debates was done. It is an ongoing process Miscellaneous Reference Work: In addition, 6 requests for preparation of lists of Members, the names of their spouse, etc. received from Table Office of the Secretariat, Lok Sabha Secretariat, etc. from time to time were also attended to. The information sought was compiled on the basis of the information available in the Unit and was provided to the concerned sections Socio Economic Profile of Members of Rajya Sabha : During the year of following data was compiled : (i) Statistical information pertaining to Members for the period 01 January - 31 December 2014 was provided to Committee Co-ordination Section. (ii) Secretary-General directed that an Information Bulletin on Members of Rajya Sabha may be compiled. Accordingly, the manuscript of the Information Bulletin on socio-economic profile of Members of Rajya Sabha is under preparation. (iii) Parliament- A Factsheet (average age, educational qualification and profession of Members of Rajya Sabha) was updated for use of Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha. (iv) A list of Members of Rajya Sabha (below the age of 45 years) was prepared and provided to Conference and Protocol Section Processing of applications regarding requests for providing information under the Right to Information Act, 2005, received from RTI Cell: During the year 2015, 61 requests were received, processed and necessary information was provided Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) displayed at the Rajya Sabha Website: There are seven entries under the category Members of Rajya Sabha that contain information requiring constant monitoring and updation. On six occasions changes were made in the FAQs to keep the information updated at the Rajya Sabha website. Besides, the manuscript of the FAQs was prepared and approved for printing to distribute the printed copies of the FAQs to the visitors to Parliament especially students The manuscript was also sent for translation. The translated version is awaited Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin Part II : During the year 2015, para for inclusion in Parliamentary Bulletin Part II was prepared regarding the availability of the publication titled President s Address and the Motion of Thanks 2013, brought out by the LARRDIS. 283

11 Making Publications available on the Rajya Sabha Website and the Rajya Sabha intranet site: There are 57 publications available on the intranet/internet sites. All the publications brought out by the Sections in the Secretariat are to be made available to the LARRDIS for maintaining and updation of the link Publications on the Rajya Sabha website and the Rajya Sabha intranet site As per the Secretary-General s direction, all the publications brought out by LARRDIS are uploaded on the Rajya Sabha website in e-book form. During the year 2015, the following publications brought out by LARRDIS were scanned by the O & M Section and their digital format was uploaded in e-book form : (i) Lighter Moments in Rajya Sabha, 1985 edition and Lighter Moments in the Rajya Sabha A supplement, 1986 edition; (ii) The House Laughs An Anthology of Wit and Humour in the Rajya Sabha, 1989 edition; (iii) Welcome Mr. Chairman, Sir, 1997 edition (Felicitating Shri Krishan Kant in the House on becoming the tenth Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; (iv) Welcome Mr. Chairman, Sir, 2003 edition (Speeches delivered by Members, Rajya Sabha welcoming Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on occupying the Chair of the Presiding Officer, Rajya Sabha on 20 November 2002); (v) Felicitations Hon ble Chairman, Sir, 2006 edition (Congratulatory remarks made in the House on the Completion of four years of Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha on 18 August 2006; (vi) Role and Relevance of Rajya Sabha in Indian Polity, 2004 edition; (vii) Women Members of Rajya Sabha, 2003 edition; (viii) Rajya Sabha Pays Homage to Rajiv Gandhi, 1991 edition; (ix) The Second Chamber; Its Role in Modern Legislatures The Twenty Five Years of Rajya Sabha, 1977 edition; (x) Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan : A Commemorative Volume, 1988 edition; (xi) Education and Social Change, 1988 edition; (xii) Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajya Sabha, 1988 edition; (xiii) Dr. B.R. Ambedkar - The Man and His Message : A Commemorative Volume, 1991 edition; and (xiv) Socio economic Profile of Members of Rajya Sabha ( ), 2003 edition; Weeding Out : In the year 2015, miscellaneous old files covering the period from 1997 to 2008 were disposed off after taking due approval of competent authority Computerization: Use of INTERNET and LAN: (i) The Bulletin paragraphs, which are sent to Table Office in the prescribed format are done in the CRC format; and (ii) Internet was used for sending s, accessing checking/updating of information Work done on Computers: (i) The manuscripts of all the publications prepared were typed on the computers ; (ii) The compilation of statistical/socio- economic data of Members of Rajya Sabha is being done on the computers; and (iii) The compilation of Members Lists and other such information sought by Sections of the Secretariat, Lok Sabha Secretariat, etc., is being done on computers. 284

12 50.3 LIBRARY AND REFERENCE UNIT The work entrusted to the Library and Reference Unit is as follows: (i) Attending to references made by the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the Secretary- General. (ii) Maintenance of Rajya Sabha Secretariat Library. (iii) Maintenance and circulation of periodicals. (iv) Purchase of books and subscription of magazines for the Hon ble Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Chairmen of various Committees, Leader of Opposition, Secretary-General and officers/sections of the Secretariat, as per their requisition. Accordingly, Accession Register, Ledger of Books, Periodicals Register, Purchase Registers etc. are maintained. (v) Distribution of the copies of the Constitution of India to Members of Rajya Sabha. (vi) Preparation of press-clippings from the newspapers received in the Section for perusal of the Hon ble Deputy Chairman and the Secretary- General. (vii) Preparation of List of Issues likely to be raised during the Sessions of Rajya Sabha, which is sent to Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for obtaining briefs from the concerned Ministries. (viii) Preparation of Paras for inclusion in Rajya Sabha Bulletin Part-II informing Members of Rajya Sabha about reference notes prepared and the various events/ programmes organised by the LARRDIS, Lok Sabha Secretariat. (ix) Processing of newspapers/magazines reimbursement claims of Hon ble Chairman, Hon ble Deputy Chairman, Chairmen of various Parliamentary Committees of Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition, Secretary-General, Secretary and Additional Secretaries of the Secretariat. This Unit maintains a small Library for use of officers and staff of the Secretariat, who are permitted to borrow books for official use. It contains, inter alia, books on constitutional law, parliamentary procedure, political science and international relations. Debates of the Constituent Assembly, Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha and All India Reporter are kept in the Library for reference purpose Budget Allocation: The budget allocated for newspapers/ magazines and publications for the financial year was Rs.11,00,000/-. Purpose Total Budget (allocated) Amount spent till Reimbursement of Newspaper bills and Purchase of Newspapers/Magazines, Books & other Publications Rs.11,00000/- Rs. 8,00,488/ Purchase of books: Besides purchasing books for the Library as per the reference needs and recommendation of the Secretary-General, Library and Reference Unit also caters to the requests received from the Office of the Hon ble Chairman, Deputy Chairman and Chairmen of various Committees. The Unit also functions as a coordinating Section for assessing the requirements of the officers and sections of the Secretariat for books for their official use and procures them as per their requisitions received. (1) During the year, 2015, 24 receipts requesting to procure and supply books/dictionaries/maps were processed. (2) Total 114 books were procured of which 14 were added to the Library and 100 were supplied to officers/sections of the Secretariat after due accessioning and entry in respective registers. Also, 8 books received on gratis were added to the Library. (3) Total 27 bills were processed for payment in the above respect Issue of books/magazines etc. : As and when requests are received, books/magazines/debates etc. are issued to officers, staff and sections of the Secretariat for reference purpose. 285

13 During the year, total 122 books and 213 magazines were issued for reference purposes Subscription/renewal of magazines/journals/newspapers: The Library also subscribes magazines /journals/newspapers for reference. Entry of issues of the magazines is done in respective registers after due stamping. Of these, few magazines/journals are being procured and supplied to sections/officers of the Secretariat after assessing their requests in view of their functional requirement. If some magazine/journal is not received on time or if its subscription is due, reminder is sent to the subscription authority. Total 22 magazines/journals, 11 English newspapers and 9 Hindi newspapers are being received in the library. The Unit, also act as a nodal agency to make arrangement of subscription of newspapers/magazines for the Hon ble Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Chairmen of Committees of Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition, Secretary-General, Secretary and Additional Secretaries, officers and sections of the Secretariat. The Unit received 9 new requests from different quarters, to subscribe various newspapers/ magazines during the year Requisitions are also received in case the supply of some newspapers/magazines is not needed or some other newspaper or magazine is required or if there is change in address of the concerned officer. Also in few cases, newspapers are subscribed for session time only. Accordingly letters are issued to the concerned agency. The Unit issued 35 letters during the year 2015 in the above respect Daily Press Clippings & E-clippings: Press Clippings are prepared and compiled regularly after their cutting, pasting and sorting, from the English newspapers received daily in the Unit, including Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays. They are put up for the perusal of the Deputy Chairman and the Secretary-General. The Unit also subscribes e-clippings for the Hon ble Chairman. These are also forwarded to the Hon ble Deputy Chairman, Secretary-General, Secretary, Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and the Unit itself. E-clippings of both English and Hindi are downloaded, along with index and are sent to the Office of the Secretary-General, on regular basis, every morning. (1) On an average, 40 news items/editorials/articles are culled out for preparing news-clippings. (2) 150 e-clippings of English are downloaded on an average, along with index, for the Secretary-General. (3) 70 e-clippings of Hindi are downloaded on an average, along with index, for the Secretary-General. Qualitative: Index to the daily newspaper clippings is being prepared, as directed by the Secretary-General. News items relating to Parliament and State Legislatures are given preference and kept as first items in the press clippings folder Processing of newspapers/magazines reimbursement bills/claims: Library is responsible for processing bills/claims of periodicals/magazines/newspapers subscribed by the Hon ble Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Chairmen of various Committees of Rajya Sabha, LOP, Secretary-General, Secretary, Additional Secretaries and Library. During the year 2015, a total of 314 bills of newspapers/magazines were processed. 286

14 No Objection Certificate: Library issues No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the officers/staff of the Secretariat on superannuation/voluntary retirement or if they leave the Secretariat due to some other reason, after checking the records. If the concerned officer/staff does not return the book(s), necessary action is taken to recover their cost or to write off the books. During the year 2015, total 42 NOCs were issued. Four files were submitted regarding, recovery of cost / write off of outstanding books List of Issues: On the basis of the news clippings and information gathered from various magazines and journals, a list of issues likely to be raised during the Session of Rajya Sabha is prepared well in advance of the Session. In a year, for three sessions of Rajya Sabha, namely Budget Session, Monsoon Session and Winter Session, three lists of issues are prepared. As the Budget Session is divided into two parts, if required, for the second part of the Budget Session an additional list is also prepared. The lists are submitted to the Secretary-General for selection of issues on which Briefs are required to be prepared. During the year 2015, 56 issues were identified and put up to the Secretary-General. Qualitative: Topical and legislative issues are selected. Innovative: Till 235 th session, for each brief received from the Ministry, one page summary was being prepared and it was indicated in the note whether the topic was discussed in the Rajya Sabha or not. The Secretary-General, however, observed that since the legislative business dominated the Session, obtaining briefs would not have served much purpose. Therefore, no list was sent to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for obtaining briefs from Ministries concerned. Besides, the Secretary-General remarked that the inputs from the Ministries were not received in time and were sketchy. Therefore, he suggested for sharpening the focus for the next session i.e. 236 th Session of Rajya Sabha, and asked LARRDIS to prepare in-house briefs on issues in the next session Miscellaneous Requisitions/ Queries/ Reference Work: The Unit also attended to requisitions/ queries received from the Members of Rajya Sabha/ex-Members, Office of the Secretary-General, and other officers/sections of the Secretariat and supplied information/material/ documents. The Section also compiled/prepared various reports/plans also regarding Annual Action Plan 2015, Annual Report 2014, Review of Annual Action Plan 2014, Mid-year Review of Annual Action Plan 2015, Hindi Timahi Reports (Quarterly), Annual Inspection, Annual Review of Work done in Hindi. In all, the Section attended to/disposed 28 receipts/queries received from various quarters such as culling important speeches of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Weeding of old Records/Books: The process of weeding out of old records/files and magazines/journals is done as per the guidelines given in the Manual of Office Procedure, Rajya Sabha Secretariat. During the year following proposals were submitted: (i) W eeding of old/obsolete books of the Library;, (ii) Weeding of 20 old records/journals/magazines of 2012; and, (iii) Proposal to donate old Debates of House of Lords and House of Commons to the Parliament Library, Lok Sabha Secretariat. The Secretary-General approved the third proposal and directed to prepare List of all Debates. The List is in final stage. 287

15 Binding: Various journals of long term reference value viz. All India Reporter, Constitutional and Parliamentary Information, and in-house publications added to the Library holdings are bound every year. Total 48 issues/copies of journals/books/publications were given for binding Cataloguing: As and when books are added to the library holdings their catalogue cards are prepared Parliamentary Bulletins: Paras are received in the Section from LARRDIS, Lok Sabha Secretariat about various events/programmes organised by them for Members for inclusion in the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin Part-II. A total of 25 paras were prepared and included in the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin, Part-II, for information of Members of Rajya Sabha Processing of RTI applications: The Section also receive the applications from RTI Cell for providing information under the Right to Information Act, Total 4 receipts were processed and necessary information was provided. Qualitative: As the information sought under RTI were of time bound nature they were responded on priority within the time frame Digitization of Records: Library had identified the records/files/ bound volumes of the Section having long term value for being digitized through O&M Section. As approved, the process of sending records to O&M Section in a phased manner was initiated, from the end of However, vide O&M circular No.5/1/2015 dated 25 May 2015 review was done of all Records needed to be digitized, to curtail them to most important ones only. As approved, details of the approved Records (viz. number of files/bound volumes, pages) to be digitized were updated and sent to the O&M Section in the required format. Also, as requested Metadata of all Records already digitized was prepared and sent to the Section. Total 21 records/files/bound volumes (around 2360 pages) were sent to O&M Section for digitization Physical Verification of the Library: Verification of the Library holdings was conducted in the month of July The Officer nominated for the purpose submitted the Report in this regard for follow up Distribution of In-house Publications: The following publications were distributed, as per the approved list, during the year 2015: i. Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile, 2013 (English as well as Hindi edition); ii. President s Address and the Motion of Thanks, 2013; and iii. Compendium on The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, Updating online List of Library Books : A List of Library Books (e-catalogue), having details such as title, author, and publisher of the books, has been uploaded on the Rajya Sabha Secretariat Intranet with the help of NIC through a software wherein it could be updated on real time basis. The list was updated as and when new books were added to the Library Computerization: (a) Use of INTERNET and LAN: 288

16 (i) Internet is used to seek information relating to the availability of foreign publications, their price, etc. from the foreign publishers. (ii) The Bulletin paragraphs, which are sent to Table Office, are done in the CRC form. (iii) Liaison with distributors/publishers/other offices and institutes is done through for various purposes viz. giving order for books to distributors/publishers, requesting other offices/institutes for some publication or reference material, sending reminder for subscription of magazines/journals or their non-receipt in time etc. (iv) Updation of the List of library books uploaded on Rajya Sabha Website (Intranet) is done on real time basis. (iv) Internet is often used to collect information, material with regard to miscellaneous reference queries being received in the Library from different quarters. (b) Work done on Computers: All typing work including, diary of receipts official notes, letters, etc. is being done on computers. 289