Bibliographic Control of Government Publications in India, 1748-1993

Abstract

The origin and growth of Government publications in India is invariably attached to the origin and growth of various Government departments in the country with the advent of the British rule. The East India Company, which gained substantial grounds in India after the Battle of Plassey in 1757, assumed the power to transact the official business of the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal with the Government Council as its Head. In 1763, the Council was divided into two departments, viz. Public and Secret. The Governments started publishing lists and catalogues of ‘Public’ or ‘Civil’ publications since then. This practice continued even after independence and continued till the appearance of digital publications in the websites of different Government departments.