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

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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) has been 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 have been 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 1st January to 31st December 2012 are mentioned below: 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 notes on the Parliament of various countries, alongwith a comparative fact sheet and talking points for use of hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha and Secretary- General, Rajya Sabha. (iii) Preparation of speeches, interventions, messages, articles, research notes, etc. (iv) 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. (v) Furnishing of information sought by various national and international bodies. (vi) Preparation of Sessional Review to be published in the Journal of Parliamentary Information (JPI). (vii) Preparation of write-ups on issues, likely to be raised during the session of Rajya Sabha, selected by the Secretary-General for use of Hon ble Chairman. (viii) Preparation of Paras for inclusion in Rajya Sabha Bulletin Part II for information of Members of Rajya Sabha (ix) Preparation of Sessional Newsletter Research and Reference Work: (a) Research Notes/ Articles: Research notes on several items were prepared for various parliamentary conferences. The details are as follows: For Hon'ble Chairman: Notes on the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia and South Africa were prepared along with talking points for use of the Hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha. Comparative notes on the Parliaments of India and Hungary, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq and Vietnam were also prepared as per the format devised by the Secretary-General for use of the Hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha. 252

2 Quantitative: Notes on Parliament of 11 countries were prepared in In 2013 approximately 20 Notes on Parliaments are likely to be prepared. For Hon'ble Deputy Chairman: A Backgrounder on The Role of Parliament in the removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court/ High Court for the Presiding Officers Conference scheduled to be held in November 2012 was prepared. For Secretary-General: 1. Draft Interventions/Communications on the topics (i) Impeachment of a Judge in the Indian Parliament ; (ii) Raising Matters of Urgency or Emergency in the Chamber ; (iii) Things that cannot be said: Limits on freedom of expression in Parliamentary Proceedings for the use of Secretary-General at ASGP meeting at Kampala, April An Agenda Paper on The Profile and Work Study of the Activities of Secretary-General to be presented at the 49 th General Meeting of the Society of Clerks-at-the-Table in Commonwealth Parliaments (SOCATT), Colombo, Sri Lanka, September 2012 was prepared. 3. Interventions/ notes/communications on the following topics indicating the Indian perspectives were prepared for the use of Secretary-General during his participation in the ASGP Meeting held from Oct in Quebec (Canada): (a) Recruitment of parliamentary staff, retention and succession planning; (b) Protection of witnesses who appear before Parliamentary Committees; (c) Involving Civil Society in the Legislative and Scrutiny process; (d) Relations between the two Houses of Parliament; (e) Enhancing Parliamentary Oversight; (f) Road Map 2014: Ongoing Work to Develop the Riksdag Administration; (g) Open Parliament: the experience of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies; (h) Role of Parliament in monitoring the effectiveness of public policy; (i) The situation of a Parliament during a long-lasting political crisis; (j) Parliamentary Communication: The example of Burkina Faso; (k) Foreign Relations of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and strengthening Inter- Parliamentary Cooperation; (l) Parliamentary Diplomacy; (m) Connecting structures between the legislative and executive branches;(n) Cooperation between the administration of national and regional Parliaments; (o) Parliamentary representation and communication and the role of social media at the Conference organized jointly with the IPU in partnership with the IFLA section on Parliamentary Libraries and Research Services and the Global Center for ICT in Parliament; (p) A brief factual note on the State Legislatures bringing out basic facts on each State/ Union Territory with particular reference to their legislative set-up; (q) Brief note in Indian economy of general nature; (r) Factsheet on Indian Constitution; (s) Factsheet on Indian Parliament; (t) A brief note highlighting salient aspects of the Delhi Declaration announced at the 7 th meeting of the Women Speakers of Parliaments held at New Delhi and an analysis with respect to the situation prevailing in India for making Parliament gender sensitive. 4. Prepared list of suggested subjects for the Theme, Workshops and Plenary Sessions on behalf of Hon ble Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha for the 58 th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 7-15 September Quantitative: A total of 25 interventions/ communications/ notes/ background paper/ agenda paper and Fact sheets were prepared for various conferences in The number is likely to go upto 48 in (b) Speeches/ Addresses/ Messages/ Articles: During the year 2012, following speeches/ addresses/ articles/ messages/ write-ups were prepared for use of the Hon'ble Chairman, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and the Secretary-General: 253

3 For Hon'ble Chairman: 1. A Goodwill Message for the special edition of the national daily 'The Media Times'. 2. Short Speech on the occasion of the Farewell Function organized in honour of retired/retiring Members of Rajya Sabha. 3. A Reference made on the occasion of 60 th Anniversary of the Parliament of India on 13 May, 2012 in Rajya Sabha. 4. An Address at a function to commemorate 60 th anniversary of Parliament of India on 13 th May 2012 in the Central Hall of Parliament. 5. A Message in Hindi for the 7 th edition of Nutan Pratibimb. 6. An Address on the occasion of laying of Foundation Stone of Multi-storeyed Flats for MPs at 2, Talkatora Road, New Delhi on 28 th August, An Address at the 7 th Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament on Gender Sensitive Parliaments held in New Delhi on 3-4 October A Comprehensive Paper on Electoral Reforms. 9. Inaugural Address on the occasion of the Orientation Programme for the newly elected/nominated of Rajya Sabha on 19 th and 20 th May, A Factsheet on the Number of Members of Parliament who secured more than and less than 50 per cent votes polled; The statistics in regard to UK and Canada, other democratic Parliaments which have a similar system of 'first-past-the post' was also provided. For Hon'ble Deputy Chairman: 1. An Address on the theme Financial Crisis and its impact on Global Economy and Presentation on the theme Global Dialogue of Cultures at the Third G-20 Speakers Consultation, February held at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2. Short Speech on the occasion of the Farewell Function organized in honour of retired/retiring Members of Rajya Sabha. 3. An Address on the subject Water Conservation and Management with special reference to river Ganga. For Secretary-General: 1. An Article for the quarterly magazine 'Sansadiya Deepika' brought out by the UP Legislative Assembly. 2. An Article on the topic Effective Capacity Building Programmes for Parliamentarians for the forthcoming issue of the quarterly journal Udaan' brought out by Jharkhand Legislative Assembly. 3. An Article for Secretary-General on the topic How India chooses its Head of State for inclusion the Canadian Parliamentary Review. 4. An Article (in Hindi) on the topic Administrative Autonomy of Indian Parliament to be published in the magazine 'Smarika' brought out by Bihar Legislative Assembly. 5. A Presentation on Administrative Autonomy of Parliament during the visit of Secretary- General to the Parliament of Canada from 28 th May to 1 st June, A Welcome Address at the lecture delivered by Prof. (Dr.) N.R.Madhava Menon under Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair on 17 th May at Parliament House Annexe. 7. An Article on Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha A Profile and Work Study of Activities. The same was published in the Journal The Parliamentarian brought out by the CPA. 8. A Vote of Thanks on the occasion of laying of Foundation Stone of Multi-storeyed Flats for MPs at 2, Talkatora Road, New Delhi on 28 th August, An Article on the topic Raising Matters of Urgency or Emergency in the Chamber to be published in "Assembly Herald brought out by Nagaland Legislative Assembly Secretariat. 10. A Brief on Coal Block Allocations made by the Government during recent years. 11. A Write-up on Thorium. 254

4 12. A brief Note on Information regarding State Assemblies and their respective terms in tabular form. 13. Short Notes on the following 19 subjects (notices for Short Duration Discussion on these subjects were received from Shri Prakash Javadekar, M.P.) were prepared for the use of Secretary-General: (i) Rising malnutrition in India ; (ii) Rising power cuts and rising power tariffs across states; (iii) Rapid rise in fertilizer prices invoking steady inflation; (iv) Rising toll tax on National and State Highways; (v) Rising non-performing assets of public sector banks.; (vi) Continuous increase in prices of consumer goods resulting in inflation; (vii) Hike in prices of diesel and petrol.; (viii) Capping of LPG cylinders.; (ix) Growing Naxal violence in the country; (x) Difficulties being faced by pilgrims during Amarnath Yatra.; (xi) One rank one pension for ex-service men.; (xii) Scam in procurement of VVIP Choppers; (xiii) Communal militancy in the country; (xiv) Scam in allocation of coal blocks in the country; (xv) Increasing incidents of rapes in Haryana; (xvi) Killing of Panchayat Heads in Jammu & Kashmir; (xvii) Atrocities against Hindus and their migration from Pakistan; (xviii) FDI in multi-brand retail in the country; (xix) Deteriorating condition of security along the borders of the country. 14. Short Notes (Bullet Points and Additional Information) were prepared on the following issues on the basis of the briefs received from the Ministry of Home Affairs: (i) Resignation of Panchs and Sarpanchs of Gram Panchayat of J&K; (ii) Security situation in J&K; (iii) Security situation in North Eastern States during the period (upto ); (iv) Violence in Assam in July/August 2012; (v) Naxalite situation in the country; (vi) Construction of roads of operational significance in Border areas along India-China Border;(vii) Status note on Mercy petition case of Mohd Ajmal and Mohd. Amir Kasab; (viii) Status note on the case of condemned Prisoner Mohd. Afzal Guru; (ix) Brief on Delhi Fire Service; (x) Natural Calamities during ; (xi) Status note on Telangana; (xii) Issue of Hindu/Sikh refugees from Pakistan; (xiii) Agitation of India Against Corruption (I.A.C.) 15. Short Note (Executive Summary, Bullet Points and Additional Information) was prepared on the topics (i) National Food Security Bill, 2011 on the basis of the brief received from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution; (ii) UNICEF Report on India s highest mortality rate of under-five children in 2011 on the basis of the brief received from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and (iii) Proposed Hike in the Railway Fares on the basis of the brief received from the Ministry of Railways. 16. A Paper on Practices/ conventions and rules with decided cases or instances in respect of the issue whether executive decisions can be debated in Parliament in the Parliaments of UK, USA, Canada, Australia and France was prepared for use of the Secretary-General. 17. A comprehensive comparative factsheet relating to Corresponding Rules of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha pertaining to Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the respective Houses was prepared. 18. A Vote of Thanks on the opening day of the Orientation Programme for the newly elected/nominated of Rajya Sabha on 19 th May A Welcome Address at the Valedictory function of the Orientation Programme for the newly elected/nominated of Rajya Sabha on 20 th May A Vote of Thanks at the Valedictory function of the Orientation Programme for the newly elected/nominated of Rajya Sabha on 20 th May Quantitative: A total of 33 references from Hon ble Chairman, Hon ble Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General were attended to in In the year 2013 approximately 60 such references will be attended to Research related references from Officers/Sections (i) (ii) A Welcome Address for use of Prof. P.J. Kurien, M.P. and a Valedictory Address for use of Dr. E. M. Sudarsana Natchiappan, M.P were prepared on the occasion of the Orientation Programme for the newly elected/nominated of Rajya Sabha on 19 th and 20 th May, Annual Reports for the year 2011 pertaining to General Research Unit and the Research Units were prepared. 255

5 (iii) Request from RTI Cell to provide inputs in identifying publications which could aid the RTI Cell in its work was attended to. (iv) Request from SG Office for updating Report Card on significant assignments concerning JS(SN) and JS(N) as on 31 May 2012 was attended to Preparation of Sessional Review: Brief reviews of the important discussions held and legislative business transacted in Rajya Sabha during the 224 th, 225 th, 226 th Sessions were prepared and sent to the JPI Section, Lok Sabha Secretariat for being published in the Journal of Parliamentary Information (JPI). Statistical information relating to the 224 th, 225 th, 226 th Sessions of Rajya Sabha and sittings of the various Committees of Rajya Sabha during each of the four quarters including latest party positions were also compiled for being published in the JPI. Quantitative: 3 Sessional Reviews and 4 Statement of Business transacted including latest party positions were also compiled Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair and Rajya Sabha Fellowships on Parliamentary Studies: Quantitative: (i) (ii) (iii) During the year 2012, 107 official correspondences were made relating to Search and Advisory Committee (SAC), Chair and Rajya Sabha Fellowships. 3 meetings of the SAC were held. 1 lecture (i.e. 2 nd lecture of the series) by Prof. (Dr.). N.R Madhava Menon on the theme Law Making in Culturally Diverse Federal Democracies: Building on Experience of Stability and Change was organized on 17 May 2012 during the Budget Session Parliamentary Bulletin Part- II: Para for inclusion in Bulletin Part-II regarding availability in the Publications Counter of the copy of presentation by Dr. Santosh Malhotra on Indian Human Development Report 2011 made in the BPST, Lok Sabha was prepared Miscellaneous Reference Work: (i) Bills regarding the translations of Paper/Interventions into French for ASGP Conference held at Kampala, Uganda in April 2012 was processed. (ii) FAQs and write-up on President s Election in India were sent for use of SG Computerization: I. Use of INTERNET and LAN: (i) (ii) The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) containing a list of questions and answers on various aspects of Rajya Sabha available on the Rajya Sabha website were updated and sent to the NIC and Translation Section for necessary action; Reference material for speeches, articles, messages and information regarding foreign Parliaments is being accessed from the Internet; and (iii) Answers to questionnaires, etc. received from the various international agencies/organisations were also sent through . II 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; (ii) The compilation of statistical data for the Sessional Review of Rajya Sabha is 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. 256

6 New Initiative for 2013: (i) For the year 2013 a new initiative has been taken to prepare on an average twelve references notes quarterly (a total of 48 annually) on topical issues likely to be raised in the House and Legislative Briefs on Bills pending in the Department related Parliamentary Standing Committees of Rajya Sabha for use of Members of Rajya Sabha. (ii) For the year 2013, Sessional Newsletter from Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha to Secretary- General, Lok Sabha and Secretaries of all State Legislatures will be prepared. (iii) Comparative Parliamentary Briefs on major IPU Member countries will be prepared PUBLICATIONS AND WHO S WHO UNIT (LARRDIS) Main Functions: This Unit mainly deals with bringing out various publications on parliamentary and procedural matters; culling out and compilation of the important Rulings and Observations given by the Chair as well as the instances of humour from the Rajya Sabha Debates. The work of compilation, printing and publication of Who s Who, Rajya Sabha after every biennial election is also entrusted to the Unit. It also undertakes the work of preparation of the annual publication, namely, 'Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile'. This Unit also undertakes the work of distribution of the copies of publications brought out by the LARRDIS. Besides, the Unit also prepares paragraphs for inclusion in the Rajya Sabha Bulletin Part- II informing Members of Rajya Sabha about the various publications brought out by the LARRDIS as well as various events/ programmes being conducted by the LARRDIS, Lok Sabha Secretariat Quantum of work done during the year 2012: The volume of work done by this Unit during the year 2012 is given as under: Publications: (a) Who s Who, Rajya Sabha 2012: The publication titled Who s Who Rajya Sabha is brought out after every two years. The bio-data of Members nominated/elected/re-elected during the years 2011 and 2012 were compiled and put on the Internet at the Rajya Sabha website after being vetted by members. Bio-data of continuing members are being updated on the Internet as and when required. The manuscript of the 'Who's Who Rajya Sabha 2012' is currently under preparation. As per the direction of the Hon'ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha, the size of the bio-data of each Member was restricted to three printed pages only. However, the detailed bio-data of the Members are available on the Internet at the Rajya Sabha website. (b) Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2011: The manuscript of Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2011' was prepared and submitted for approval. Figures therein were compared with the Annual Report The duly approved manuscript was sent to the Printing Section. A copy of the manuscript was also sent to Translation Section for getting it translated into Hindi. The proof of the English version of the publication (2010) was scrutinised and returned to Printing Section after resolving queries. Printed copies of the publication will be received from the Printing Section. (c) Humour in the House: A Glimpse into the Enlivening Moods of Rajya Sabha: Culling out of instances of humour from the debates of Rajya Sabha is an ongoing process. Instances from 200 th to 224 th session were prepared and compiled in the approved format. (d) Publications brought out on the occasion of 60 th Anniversary of Parliament: 'Selected Speeches of Women Members of the Constituent Assembly'; 'Welcome Hon'ble Chairman'; 'Sixty Years of Rajya Sabha ( )'; 'Nominated Members of Rajya Sabha'; and 'Computerisation in Rajya Sabha: An Overview': Manuscripts of the booklets were compiled/prepared and put up for approval of the Secretary-General. After approval, the manuscript was sent to Printing Section. Printed copies of the publication were received and distributed to Members of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. 257

7 (e) Initiating Discussion on various types of Debates in Rajya Sabha (English and Hindi version): The manuscript of the booklet was prepared and put up for approval of the Secretary- General. The approved manuscript was sent to the Printing Section for printing. The manuscript was also sent to the Translation Section for Hindi translation. The proof of the booklet was checked and returned to the Printing Section after resolving the quarries. The printed copies of the booklet (English and the Hindi version) were distributed to the Members of Rajya Sabha. (f) Special Publication on the theme 'Sixty Years' Journey of Indian Parliament': On the occasion of the celebration of Sixty years of Indian Parliament, an announcement was made in the House on 13 May, 2012, requesting Hon'ble Members to send articles on the theme 'Sixty Years Journey of Indian Parliament' not exceeding 1200 words in Hindi or English. Besides, Members were requested to record their message in about 60 words on the theme in the Registers kept in the Inner Lobby. These articles & messages will be edited and published separately in a book form as a special volume of the 60 th Anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament. The work of the publication is in progress. (g) Practice and Procedure Series of Rajya Sabha (Revised edition): Requests for updation of 21 booklets was sent to the respective Sections. The work of the publication is in progress In order to enhance the functioning of the Secretariat by way of consolidation of parliamentary practices and procedures, the following publications meant for official use of Rajya Sabha Secretariat were also compiled: (a) Secretary-General: A Work Profile: The manuscript of the publication was prepared and the approved draft was sent for printing. 500 printed copies of the publication were received and distributed as per the approved list. It is based on the work study of the activities of Secretary-General done by O&M Section. (b) Notes on Procedures-Judges Inquiry Committee: JS (SN) was assisted in the editing & vetting of the Notes on Procedures on Judges Inquiry Committee as received from the Legislative Section in three parts. All the parts were thoroughly checked alongwith Annexures and a 'Preface' & 'Contents' page for the publication were prepared. Relevant photographs as mentioned in the manuscript were procured. The duly approved manuscript was sent to the Printing Section. Queries raised at the various proof stages were resolved. Out of the 250 printed copies of the publication, 116 were distributed as per the approval of the Secretary-General. The remaining copies have been kept in the Library to meet future demands. (c) Praxis of Indian Parliament: Notes on Procedures in the Council Secretariat: Printed copies of the publication were received and distributed as per the approval of the Secretary-General. (d) 'Parliamentary Practices: Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha at Conferences ( )': Printed copies of the publication were received and distributed as per the approval of the Secretary-General. (e) Instructions and Observations of the Secretary-General ( ): Printed copies of the publication were received and distributed as per the approval of the Secretary- General The publications namely Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2011 ; 'Who's Who Rajya Sabha 2010' (Hindi version), 'Initiating Discussion on various types of Debates in Rajya Sabha (English and Hindi version)', 'Selected Speeches of Women Members of the Constituent Assembly'; 'Welcome Hon'ble Chairman'; 'Sixty Years Rajya Sabha ( )'; 'Nominated Members of Rajya Sabha'; 'Computerisation in Rajya Sabha: An Overview'; ' Secretary- General: A Work Profile' and 'Notes on Procedures-Judges Inquiry Committee' were prepared and sent to the Printing Section during the year 2012 for getting them printed. 258

8 The following publications were brought out during the year 2012: (i) Praxis of Indian Parliament: Notes on Procedures in the Council Secretariat; (ii) Selected Speeches of Women Members of the Constituent Assembly; (iii) Welcome Hon'ble Chairman; (iv) Sixty Years of Rajya Sabha ( ); (v) Nominated Members of Rajya Sabha; (vi) Computerisation in Rajya Sabha: An Overview; (vii) Notes on Procedures-Judges Inquiry Committee; (viii) Initiating Discussion on various types of Debates in Rajya Sabha (English and Hindi version); (ix) Secretary-General: A Work Profile; (x) Parliamentary Practices: Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha at Conferences ( ); and (xi) Instructions and Observations of the Secretary-General ( ) New Initiatives: The following publications were undertaken during the year 2012 at the initiative of the Secretary-General: (i) (ii) (iii) Secretary-General: A Work Profile; Initiating Discussion on various types of Debates in Rajya Sabha (English and Hindi version); and Notes on Procedures- Judges Inquiry Committee 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 In addition, requests for preparation of lists of Members, the names of their spouse, Member's age, profession etc. received from Table Office, Prime Minister's Office, Lok Sabha Secretariat etc. from time to time were also attended to Processing of applications regarding requests for providing information under the Right to Information Act, 2005, received from RTI Cell: During the year 2012, 4 requests were received, processed and necessary information was provided Frequently Asked Questions displayed at the Rajya Sabha Website: Changes were made as and when required and necessary information was updated at the Rajya Sabha website Computerization: Use of INTERNET and LAN: The Bulletin paragraphs, which are sent to Table Office in the prescribed format are done in the CRC format. Internet was used for sending s and uploading of circulars Work done on Computers: (i) (ii) The manuscripts of all the publications prepared were typed on the computers. All typing work including official notes, etc. is being done on the computers As per the Secretary-General s directions, all the publications brought out by LARRDIS are uploaded on the Rajya Sabha website in e-book form. 259

9 50.3 LIBRARY AND REFERENCE UNIT The work entrusted to the Library and Reference Unit is as follows: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) Attending to references made by the Chairman, the Deputy Chairman and the Secretary- General. Maintenance of Rajya Sabha Secretariat Library. Maintenance and circulation of periodicals. Purchase of books, periodicals, newspapers and maintenance of Accession Register, Ledger of Books, etc. Distribution of the copies of the Constitution of India to Members of Rajya Sabha. Preparation of press-clippings from the newspapers received in the Section for perusal of the Hon ble Deputy Chairman and the Secretary- General. Preparation of Paras for inclusion in Rajya Sabha Bulletin Part-II informing Members of Rajya Sabha about various events/ programmes organised by the LARRDIS, Lok Sabha Secretariat. 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 Reimbursement of Newspaper bills and Purchase of Newspapers/ Magazines, Books & other Publications Total Budget (allocated) Rs.10,45,000/- (Rs. 55,000/- deducted from Rs. 11,00,000/- total budget sanctioned initially, due to 5% cut in the Budget Estimate by Ministry of Finance, as conveyed by Estt. (A/cs) & Budget Section in Jan. 2013) Amount spent till Rs. 4,37,428/- A consolidated administrative approval for subscription/renewal of magazines/journals/newspapers is taken at the outset of new financial year 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 and procures them as per the requisitions received. Quantitative: (1) During the year, 2012, 56 receipts requesting to procure and supply books/dictionaries/maps were processed. 260

10 (2) Total 235 books were procured of which 138 were added to the Library and 97 were purchased and supplied to officers/sections of the Secretariat after due accessioning and entry in respective registers. (3) Total 77 bills in the above respect were processed for payment 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. Quantitative: During the year, total 298 books and 203 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 are being procured and supplied to sections/officers of the Secretariat after assessing their requests in view of their functional requirement. Quantitative: Total 25 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. Quantitative: The Unit received 8 new requests from different quarters, to subscribe various newspapers/ magazines during the year Daily Press Clippings & E-clippings: Press Clippings of the English newspapers received daily in this Unit including Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays are prepared and compiled regularly and 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, Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries and the Unit itself. A set of copies of important news clippings relating to issues of parliamentary importance were also supplied to the Secretary, Additional Secretaries and Joint Secretaries, till October However, a decision was taken to stop this practice and instead arrangement has been made to get e- clippings mailed to them by the Subscription Authority. Quantitative: (1) On an average, 30 news items/editorials/articles are culled out and prepared. (2) 125 e-clippings 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 clipping folder. Innovative: Since November 2012, hard copy of the e-clippings is being put up for the Secretary- General, every morning, along with its index, as directed by the Secretary-General 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. Quantitative: above respect. Total 505 bills of newspapers/magazines were processed in the year 2012 in the 261

11 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, three sessions of Rajya Sabha, namely Budget Session, Monsoon Session and Winter Session, three such list 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 prepared are then sent to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs twenty days prior to the commencement of the Session for procuring briefs on issues from the Ministries for use of the Hon'ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha. Such briefs received from various Ministries constitute an important and authentic source of information from the Government for perusal of the Hon'ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha. Quantitative: Qualitative: Innovative: Approximately 25 issues are identified for each session. Topical and legislative issues are selected. Since November 2012 each brief received from the Ministry is added with (i) one page executive summary; (ii) one page bullet points; and (iii) one page additional information, not covered in the brief supplied by the Ministry for proper briefing of Hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha 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. Quantitative: During the year, total 20 NOCs were issued and 9 books were written off Parliamentary Bulletins: Paras are received in the Library from LARRDIS, Lok Sabha Secretariat about various events/programmes organised by them for Members for inclusion in the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin Part-II. Quantitative: A total of 17 paras were prepared and included in the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Bulletin Part-II for information of Members of Rajya Sabha Processing of RTI applications: Library also receive the applications from RTI Cell for providing information under the Right to Information Act, Quantitative: Total 7 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 Miscellaneous Reference Work: This Unit also attended to and supplied information and material on reference queries received from the Office of the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Secretary-General, Members/ex-Members, Committees, and other senior officers/sections of the Secretariat, State Legislatures, individuals etc. Quantitative: The Library provided information and reference material from various sources, in respect of 30 matters from time to time, during the year. Apart from this, 7 reference books received from the Training Unit were also updated Weeding of old Records/Books: The process of weeding out of old records and magazines, journals and in-house publications was done as per the guidelines given in the Manual of Office Procedure, Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The old/obsolete issues of magazines/ journals, pressclipping folder, No objection Certificates and surplus copies of List of Additions were disposed off Binding: Various journals of long term reference value viz. All India Reporter, Journal of Parliamentary Information, and in-house publications added in the Library holdings are bound every year. Also, any other book depending on its condition is also identified for getting it bound. 262

12 Constitution of India: Copies of the latest diglot pocket size edition of the 'Constitution of India' brought out by the Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India were procured and distributed to the newly elected Members of Rajya Sabha Computerization: (a) Use of INTERNET and LAN: (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 via regarding various tasks 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 in case of their nonreceipt in time etc. (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 official notes, letters, etc. is being done on computers. 263

13 Release of book "Legislature & Judiciary" by Hon'ble Chairman Rajya Sabha