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 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 from 1st January to 31st December 2013 are mentioned below: 50.1 GENERAL RESEARCH UNIT (GRU) 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 for use of Members of Rajya Sabha. (iii) 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. (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). (ix) Preparation of Paras for inclusion in Rajya Sabha Bulletin Part II for information of Members of Rajya Sabha (x) Preparation of Sessional Newsletter (xi) Work relating to Dr. S. Radhakrishanan Chair and Rajay Sabha Fellowships Research and Reference Work: (a) Reference Notes for Members on topical issues and Bills likely to be taken up for discussion: 1. Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2011; 2. Financial Inclusiveness: Direct Cash Transfer Initiative; 3. Foreign Direct Investment in Multi-brand Retail; 4. Lokpal & Lokayuktas Bill, 2011; 5. Goods and Services Tax (GST); 6. Rape Laws: Need for Change; 7. The Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, Companies Bill,2012; 9. Appointment of Judges and Fast Track Courts; 10. The Pesticides Management Bill, 2008; 11. The Wakf (Amendment) Bill, 2010; 269

2 12. Education Tribunals Bill, 2010; 13. Bringing political parties under RTI Act: Recent CIC Ruling; 14. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme and recent incident of children s death in Bihar after consuming mid-day meal; 15. Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2012; 16. Disaster Preparedness in India: the recent floods in Uttarakhand; 17. The National Highways Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2012; and 18. The Architects (Amendment) Bill, 2010 were prepared. Preparation of reference notes was a new initiative for this year. 18 Reference Notes were prepared in (b) Comparative notes on Parliaments for Hon'ble Chairman: Comparative notes on the Parliaments of India and Vietnam, Peru, Germany, Yemen, USA, Maldives, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, China, Kenya, South Africa, Afghanistan, Russian Federation, Iran, Macedonia, France, Bangladesh, Serbia, Seychelles, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Romania were prepared for the use of the Hon ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha. Notes on Parliament of 24 countries were prepared in In 2014 approximately 20 Notes on Parliaments are likely to be prepared. (c) Speeches/Interventions/Notes/Communications for various Conferences: For Hon'ble Deputy Chairman: 1. Interventions/Briefs on the following subjects: (a) Financial Systems Reform and Fight Against Corruption, (b) Legislation for Climate Change and the Green Economy: What Follows on from COP-18?, (c) Reforms for Economic Recovery: Employment Generation and Trade Facilitation, (d) Legislative Actions and Public Policies for Food Security and Price Stabilization of Raw Materials and (e) Sustainable Water Management for Industrial Development, Food Security and Energy Generation: Towards a post-2015 Agenda were prepared for use at the Fourth Speakers Consultative Meeting of the G-20, held from 3-5 April 2013, Mexico City. 2. A Short note was prepared on The implications of the the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition & Rehabilitation Bill, 2013 for the use at the IPU Conference in October, Speeches on the following topics for use during the 22 nd Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth to be held in Wellington, New Zealand, January 2014 were prepared: (a) Reconnecting Parliament with the public, (b) Parliamentary Privilege and (c) Openness and Transparency. For Secretary-General: 1. An Agenda Paper on Challenges in Conduct of Proceedings of the Houses of Parliament' for presentation at the 50 th General Meeting of the Society of Clerks-at-the-Table in Commonwealth Parliaments (SOCATT), Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2-5 September, Interventions/ notes/communications/ briefs on the following topics indicating the Indian perspectives were prepared for the use at the ASGP Meeting held from March 2013 in Quito, Ecuador: (a) Recruitment and Career Management of Parliamentary Staff, (b) The rights of Parliamentary Committees to receive written and oral evidence relating to government business, (c) Standards of Conduct for Members of Parliament and Parliamentary Staff, and (d) Relations between the Parliamentary Administration and the Personal Staff of the Parliamentarians. 3. Interventions/ notes/communications on the following topics indicating the Indian perspectives were prepared for the use at the ASGP Meeting in Geneva, October 2013: (a) Emergence of parliamentary diplomacy: practice, challenges and risks, (b) Parliamentary 270

3 buildings: challenges and opportunities, (c) How do national parliaments take forward the work of parliamentarians who attend international parliamentary assemblies and (d) Making Petition to Parliament an effective instrument for resolution of issues of common public interest. 16 Speeches/interventions, one agenda paper and one short note were prepared for various conferences in The number is likely to go upto 20 in (d) Speeches/ Addresses/ Messages/ Articles: During the year 2013, following speeches/ addresses/ articles/ messages/ write-ups were prepared for use of the Hon'ble Chairman, Hon'ble Deputy Chairman and the Secretary-General: For Hon'ble Chairman: 1. A comprehensive note on Demographic Dividend - Opportunities and Challenges: A case Study of India. 2. A Note assessing the viability of suggestions made in the Paper on Evaluating Parliamentary Committees and Committee System: Changing Contours of Governance and Policy. 3. A Message in Hindi for the 8 th edition of Nutan Pratibimb. 4. A Discussion paper on Whether State subjects can be discussed in the Rajya Sabha. 5. A Note on the practice of declaring Conflict of Interest by Members of Parliaments of UK, Australia, Canada and US. 6. A Speech for special sitting of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to commemorate the 125 th Anniversary of the Kerala Legislative Assembly at Thiruvananthapuram on September 11, Address on the occasion of the presentation of Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards in Central Hall of Parliament on 9 December, Address at the 5 th Prof. Hiren Mukerjee Memorial Annual Parliamentary Lecture in Central Hall of Parliament on 13 December Rejoinder to the news item Down with the Upper House which appeared in the Times of India on 10 September For Hon'ble Deputy Chairman: 1. A speech on the need to involve the youth in the political discourse of the nation at the concluding session of Manthan 2013 organised by the Association of Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG) on 2 nd October, 2013, New Delhi. 2. An Address at the inauguration of the National Conference of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India at Kochi, Kerala on 8 th November, Address at the Annual Convocation of the Hindustan Science and Technology University, Chennai, 21 November For Secretary-General: 1. A Note on the existing practice in the US Congress regarding laying of written speeches by Members. 2. Statistical data relating to Rajya Sabha from 1952 to 2013 (229 th Session). A total of 6 speeches, 4 notes, 1 message, 1 discussion paper and 1 rejoinder were prepared for use of Hon ble Chairman, Hon ble Deputy Chairman and Secretary- General in In the year 2014 approximately 28 such references will be attended to Documentation of Acts of National Importance passed by the Parliament (New Initiative): A new initiative was taken to prepare Documentation of Acts of National Importance passed by the Parliament which would include an executive summary of the Bill along with the copy of the Bill as introduced, Report of the DRPSC, debates in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha (as 271

4 reproduced from synopsis of debates), copy of the Bill as passed and a reading list of reference. In this regard, a Documentation of National Food Security Act, 2013 was prepared. Documentation on 8 Bills are likely to be prepared in Questionnaires received from International parliamentary bodies like Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Society of Clerks-at-the-Table in Commonwealth Parliaments: Replies to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Questionnaire 1 and 2 on Representation' and 'Oversight and Law-making' were prepared and sent to the Conference and Protocol Section, Rajya Sabha Secretariat for further action Research related references from Officers/Sections (i) Material on the philosophy behind the adoption of the method of proportional representation by means of the single-transferable vote in some Parliamentary Committees was prepared for the use of Secretary-General and was supplied to the Committee Coordination Section. (ii) Information under RTI Act was furnished to Shri B.K. Gupta. (iii) Fact sheet on Constitution of India was prepared for the use of Secretary-General. (iv) Information regarding the number of Bills enacted under Union, Concurrent and State Lists was supplied to the office of the Secretary-General. (v) Note was prepared in response to the Legislative Section inquiry regarding substantial reduction in the number of cases of parliamentary privilege in the Parliament of United Kingdom Preparation of Sessional Review: Brief reviews of the important discussions held and legislative business transacted in Rajya Sabha during the 227 th, 228 th, 229 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 227 th, 228 th, 229 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. 3 Sessional Reviews and 4 Statements of Business transacted including latest party positions were also compiled Dr. S. Radhakrishnan Chair and Rajya Sabha Fellowships: (i) During the year 2013, 84 official correspondences were made relating to Search and Advisory Committee (SAC), Chair and Rajya Sabha Fellowships. (ii) Secretarial assistance was provided to the SAC in its meetings held in July and October In the light of the decisions taken by the SAC in its meeting held in October 2013, the Scheme for Chair and Fellowships has been revised Parliamentary Bulletin Part- II: Two paras informing Members of Rajya Sabha regarding availability of reference notes brought out by the Unit at the Publications Counter was included on 1-3 May and 2 August Two paras informing Members of Rajya Sabha regarding availability of reference notes prepared by the LARRDIS, Lok Sabha at the Publications Counter was included on 19 and 20 August, Sessional Newsletter: This is a new initiative taken up in A Newsletter containing 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 etc. is written by the Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha to the Secretary-General, Lok Sabha after the conclusion of each Session. Such a Newsletter for the 228 th and 229 th Sessions of Rajya Sabha was prepared by this Unit. The newsletter of the 230 th Session is being prepared. 272

5 Miscellaneous Reference Work: (i) Revision/ Updation of the 6 th edition of 'Practice and Procedure of Parliament' by M.N. Kaul and S.L. Shakdher (portion relating to Rajya Sabha in Chapter 2) Computerization: I. 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. II. (i) (ii) (iii) Work done on Computers: All typing work including speeches, messages, articles, addresses, official notes, notes for various conferences, etc. is being done on computers; The compilation of statistical data for the Sessional Review of Rajya Sabha is being done in computers; and 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 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 Quantum of work done during the year 2013: The volume of work done by this Unit during the year 2013 is given as under: Publications: (a) Rajya Sabha Who s Who, 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 2012 and 2013 were compiled and put on the Internet at the Rajya Sabha website after being vetted by members. The duly approved manuscript of the publication was sent for printing. Proofs of the publication were checked and the queries were resolved. Printed copies of the publication were received and distributed as per the list approved by the Secretary-General. Printed copies of the Hindi version will be received from the Printing Section. Bio-data of continuing members are being 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 biodata of the Members are available on the Internet at the Rajya Sabha website. As the biennial elections are to be held in the year 2014, the work relating to the compilation of the manuscript of the 'Rajya Sabha Who's Who 2014' has been taken up. (b) Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2012: The manuscript of Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2012' was prepared and submitted for approval. Figures therein were compared with the Annual Report The duly 273

6 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 and Hindi version of the publication (2012) was scrutinised and returned to Printing Section after resolving queries. Printed copies of the publication have been distributed as per the approved list. The copies of the Hindi version of the publication will be received from the Printing Section. (c) 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 and messages were edited and typed. Out of 36 articles, 23 are in English, 12 in Hindi and one in Telugu. Out of 119 messages, 64 are in English, 52 in Hindi and one each in Urdu, Kannada and Tamil. Articles/messages in Urdu, Kannada and Tamil have been translated in English by the Interpreters. These articles & messages will be published separately in a book form as a special volume of the 60 th Anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament. The work relating to the manuscript of the publication is in progress The publications namely Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat: A Performance Profile 2012 ; Rajya Sabha Who's Who 2012', were prepared and sent to the Printing Section during the year 2013 for getting them printed The following publications were brought out during the year 2013: (i) Welcome Mr. Chairman, Sir ; (ii) Rajya Sabha Who s Who 2012; (iii) Rajya Sabha and its Secretariat : A Performance Profile New Initiatives: The work relating to the following publications was undertaken during the year 2013 at the initiative of the Secretary-General: (i) Rajya Sabha at Work (updated edition): The 2006 edition of the publication contains 27 chapters, one appendix, subject index and contents pages (Total pages). The manuscript of the revised/updated publication will be compiled for sending it for printing. Secretary-General has directed that the publication be updated till 230 th Session of Rajya Sabha. Information is being collected from the concerned sections. Communication from JS (LR) has been sent to the Divisional Heads of the concerned sections for obtaining the information. As per the direction of the Secretary-General, a supplementary to Rajya Sabha at Work has also to be brought out every year. (ii) Rajya Sabha Statistical Information : A Publication containing only statistical details relating to volume of work done by various Parliamentary Committees viz. no. of meetings held, reports presented; Discussion on the working of various Ministries; Resolutions discussed - Government, Statutory and Private; Subject-wise classification of Bills passed and assented to by the President; Time lost due to disruptions and Discussions on Motion of Thanks, Motion, General Budget, Railway Budget, etc. is to be prepared. The manuscript of the publication will be compiled after receiving requisite information from concerned sections. (iii) Publication on Presidential Address/Debates : A Publication on the Presidential Address and debates and discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address in both Houses will be brought out. The first publication will cover the year 2013 and thereafter subsequent publications will be brought out covering previous years. (iv) Rulings and Observations from the Chair ( ) : The Secretary-General has directed that the publication be updated covering the period till December Manuscript of the updated publication is being prepared and put up for approval. 274

7 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 of the Secretariat, 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 2013, 14 requests were received, processed and necessary information was provided Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) displayed at the Rajya Sabha Website: Changes were made in the FAQs as and when required to keep the information 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 LIBRARY AND REFERENCE UNIT The work entrusted to the Library and Reference Unit is as follows: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) 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 List of Issues likely to be raised during the Sessions of Rajya Sabha, which is sent to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs for obtaining briefs from the concerned Ministries. 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. 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 and Additional Secretaries of the Secretariat. 275

8 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 and the 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. 7,37,886/- A consolidated administrative approval for subscription/renewal of magazines/journals/newspapers is taken at the beginning 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. (1) During the year, 2013, 36 receipts requesting to procure and supply books/dictionaries/maps were processed. (2) 197 books were procured of which 64 were added to the Library and 133 were purchased and supplied to officers and sections of the Secretariat after due accessioning and entry in respective registers. (3) 38 bills were processed for payment in 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. During the year, 234 books and 123 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 are being procured and supplied to sections/officers of the Secretariat after assessing their requests in view of their functional requirement. If a magazine/journal is not received on time or if its subscription is due, reminder is sent to the concerned agency. 24 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 for subscription of newspapers/magazines for the Hon ble Chairman, Deputy Chairman, Chairmen of Committees of Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition, Secretary-General and Additional Secretaries. The Unit received 4 new requests from different quarters, to subscribe various newspapers/ magazines during the year

9 Requisitions are also received in case the supply of some newspaper/magazine is not needed or some other newspaper or magazine is required or if there is change of the address of the officer. Also, in few cases, newspapers are subscribed for session time only. Accordingly, letters are issued to the concerned agency. The Unit issued 18 letters during the year 2013 in above respect 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. (1) On an average, 30 news items/editorials/articles are culled out for preparing newsclippings. (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 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, Leader of Opposition, Secretary-General, Additional Secretaries and Library. above respect. During the year 2013, total 412 bills of newspapers/magazines were processed in 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 prepared are then sent to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs prior to the commencement of the Session for obtaining 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. Approximately 25 issues are identified for each session. During the year 2013, summary and additional information were prepared on the 37 briefs received for the Ministries. Qualitative: Topical and legislative issues are selected. 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 perusal 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. During the year, total 30 NOCs were issued and 5 books were written off. 277

10 Miscellaneous Requisitions/ Queries: This Unit also attended to requisitions/ queries received from the Members of Rajya Sabha/ex-Members, Office of the Secretary-General, and officers/sections of the Secretariat and supplied information/material/documents accordingly. The unit also compiled/prepared the following report/list: above respect. a. Four Hindi Timahi (Quarterly)Reports; b. List of Rajya Sabha Publications (old and new) showing their availability or otherwise on the Rajya Sabha Website (Internet as well as Intranet). In all, Library attended to 23 receipts/queries received from various quarters in the Reference Work: The Library also attended to and supplied reference material viz. articles, news clippings, etc. on various topics in response to requests received from the office of Hon ble Chairman, Hon ble Deputy Chairman, Secretary-General and officers/sections of the Secretariat. during the year. The Library provided reference material on 66 varied topics from time to time, Weeding of old Records/Books: The process of weeding out of old records and magazines/journals is done as per the guidelines given in the Manual of Office Procedure, Rajya Sabha Secretariat. In the year 2013, old/obsolete issues of magazines/journals and copies of old 'No objection Certificates' were disposed off 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 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 12 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 receives the applications from RTI Cell for providing information under the Right to Information Act, Total 2 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 New Initiative: A List of all books available in the Library has been prepared as e- catalogue. The list contains the details such as title, author, publisher of the books. The completed list has been uploaded on the Rajya Sabha Secretariat Intranet with the help of the NIC through a software wherein it could be updated on real time basis. The list is being updated as and when new books are added in the Library. 278

11 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 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. (v) 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. 279