Preservation Challenge of Central Secretariat Library Under Central Vista Project

Key Highlights & Summary 

• The 135-year-old Central Secretariat Library (CSL), housing over 8.5 lakh books and rare government records, faces spatial relocation challenges as Shastri Bhawan is slated for demolition under the Central Vista revamp project. 

 • Originally established in 1891 as the Imperial Secretariat Library in Kolkata, CSL shifted to Delhi in 1911 and has functioned from Shastri Bhawan since 1969.  

• It stands as the second-largest Central Government library in India after the National Library in Kolkata, holding rare historical gazetteers, government reports, and manuscripts dating back to 1702. 

 • The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) allotted a 300 sq m space (two rooms) at Kartavya Bhawan-2, which was rejected by the Ministry of Culture as severely inadequate for the library\'s vast collection.  

• The issue mirrors earlier infrastructural dislodgements, such as the disbanding of CSL\'s Tulsi Sadan section for metro construction, leaving over two lakh books stored in cardboard cartons for 15 years. 

 • The Ministry of Culture has requested space equivalent to its original footprint (approx. 5,500 sq m spread over four floors) within the revamped Central Vista complex to preserve national documentary heritage.

 Essential Definitions

 • Central Secretariat Library (CSL): A premier repository of government records, official documents, rare books, and gazetteers functioning under the Ministry of Culture to serve government departments, researchers, and public scholars. 

 • Documentary Heritage: Archival records, rare publications, historical manuscripts, and official gazettes that represent the institutional and cultural memory of a nation.  

• Central Vista Redevelopment Project: An ongoing infrastructure project aimed at redeveloping India\'s central administrative area in New Delhi, including new government secretariat buildings (Kartavya Bhawan).  

Legal and Constitutional Framework 

• Article 49 of the Indian Constitution (Directive Principles of State Policy): Obligates the State to protect monuments, places, and objects of artistic or historic interest from spoliation, disfigurement, destruction, or disposal. 

• Public Records Act, 1993: Regulates the management, administration, and preservation of public records of the Central Government and Union Territory administrations.

 • Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954: Formulates the legal mandate for deposit, preservation, and public access to national literature across designated public and central repositories. 

Conclusion The spatial crisis confronting the Central Secretariat Library highlights the essential balance required between modern urban infrastructure development and the preservation of tangible documentary heritage. Ensuring adequate, specialized space within public administration frameworks is crucial to safeguarding historic knowledge archives and preventing institutional memory loss.  

UPSC Relevance 

• GS Paper I (Indian Culture & Heritage): Protection and preservation of national monuments, historical records, literary heritage, and archival institutions.

  • GS Paper II (Governance & Administration): Inter-ministerial coordination (Ministry of Culture vs. MoHUA), public infrastructure policy, and preservation of public administrative records.