Sri Vijaya Puram | March 12, 2026
Under the Digital India initiative, the Andaman and Nicobar Archives Department has launched its website sub-chapter on the Abhilekh Patal portal, marking a significant step towards digitisation and preservation of historical records of the islands.
The website was formally launched by the Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration in the presence of senior officials at the Secretariat. The Archives Department began uploading archival records to the portal on February 10, 2026.
Within just 20 working days, the department successfully uploaded 2,267 records comprising a total of 96,355 pages. The initiative was carried out with the valuable support and participation of students from the History Department of Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya (JNRM), who contributed to the work during their internship period.
To make the records easily accessible, the Archives Department has organised the materials into several thematic categories on the website, enabling research scholars as well as the general public to conveniently retrieve information.
Meanwhile, the Secretary (Archives) has appealed to the general public and old inhabitants of the islands to share historically important documents in their possession with the Archives Department. These may include documents, photographs, visitors’ books, and other historical records that can be deposited with the department for proper preservation and inclusion in the website for future reference.
In cases where custodians are unwilling to part with original documents or photographs, the materials can be digitised through scanning, with soft copies preserved in the Archives for record, posterity and historical research.
