Stationery and Printing Department
Policy Note for 2003-2004
Demand No.29
The Government Press was started with ten employees in the year 1831 at Fort St. George, Chennai for fulfilling the printing needs of the Government.
The Printing works of the Secretariat Departments, Heads of Departments, Tamil Nadu Government Gazettes, Budget Documents, Works of Tamil Nadu Government Examinations, Annual Reports of the Accountant-General of Tamil Nadu, Public Accounts Committee, Secret and Special Reports of Government, Standardised and Non Standardised Forms, etc., are under taken in the Government Presses. As of now 3091 employees are working in the Stationery and Printing Department, out of which 527 are Women and 159 are Visually and Physically Handicapped Persons.
DIRECTORATE OF STATIONERY AND PRINTING, CHENNAI.
Government Presses, Stationery Store and Sales Depots are functioning under the Control of the Directorate of Stationery and Printing at Chennai.
The Stationery stores functioned under the control of Collector, Chennai and the Government Press is functioned under the control of Secretary to Government were amalgamated in the year 1953 as one department and named as Department of Stationery and Printing and it is functioning under an I.A.S. officer for the past 50 years. One Joint Director, one General Manager, 2 Works Managers, 9 Deputy Works Managers, 27 Assistant Works Managers, 8 Assistant Directors, one Chief Accounts Officer, one Deputy Director (Stationery) and one Accounts Officer are assisting Director in all administrative matters.
All the matters pertaining to the employees and other staff such as appointment, increment, leave, transfer, promotion and other benefits are looked after by this Department. The Directorate also settles the disputes under the Industrial Disputes Act for the benefit of the employees of this Department.
For administrative convenience 210 staff of this department has been divided into four wings (viz) Administrative Section, Technical Section, Stationery Section and Accounts section and they are under the control of the Joint Director, General Manager, Deputy Director and Chief Accounts Officer respectively who are under the direct control of the Director of Stationery and Printing.
In addition to the Government Central Press, Chennai and Government Branch Press at High Court Buildings, Chennai, there are Government Branch Presses in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Salem and Virudhachalam. Stationery wing and Sales Depot are also functioning under the control of this department.
GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, CHENNAI.
The Government Press which was functioning from the beginning at Fort St. George, Chennai was shifted to Mint in the year 1888. The Government Central Press is now functioning with 1828 employees under the control of two Works Managers. The employees in the Press are working in three shifts. The Press is equipped with modern printing machines, binding machines, desk top publishing systems and block making and rubber stamp sections.
Printing of State Budget documents, urgent matters of the Legislative Assembly, Top Secret works, Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission Bulletins and other important items of works are undertaken at Central Press. Besides, Government Calendars and Diaries of various kinds are also executed every year.
GOVERNMENT BRANCH PRESS, HIGH COURT BUILDINGS, CHENNAI.
For the purpose of printing Cause List of the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature, this Branch Press was established in the year 1923 in the High Court Buildings, Chennai. A Deputy Works Manager with 204 employees is administering this Press and it is working on three shifts. Daily Cause List as received from the High Court of Judicature is printed on the same night itself and supplied by adhering time schedule. A Sub-Sales Depot of the Government Publication wing is also functioning here for the use of Advocates, Public and Government Servants.
A fortnightly issue of Indian Law Reports and the Standardised Forms pertaining to Government departments are also printed here.
GOVERNMENT BRANCH PRESS, PUDUKKOTTAI.
Sri Prahadambal State Press, Pudukkottai was amalgamated and renamed as Government Branch Press, Pudukkottai, since 1949. It is under the control of a Branch Manager. This Government Branch Press is functioning with 124 employees in two shifts. The Standardised Forms and Registers related to Adi-Dravidar and Backward Classes, Police, Medical, Pension and Forest departments are executed by this Government Branch Press.
The District Gazettes and Publications in respect of the following 12 districts are also printed and published in this Press.
1. Ramanathapuram 7. Thanjavur
2. Kanyakumari 8. Pudukkottai
3. Chennai 9. Thoothukkudi
4. Kancheepuram 10. Tiruvarur
5. Thiruvallur 11. Nagapattinam
6. Tiruvannamalai 12. Sivagangai
GOVERNMENT BRANCH PRESS, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI.
This is the first State Regional Printing Press established in 1965 in a rented building at Ariyamangalam. It is now functioning under the control of a Branch Manager with 119 employees in two shifts in its own building at Thuvakudi. Standardised common forms and Registers are printed and supplied to all Government departments. It includes Personal Registers, Cash Registers, and Measurement Books.
The District Gazettes and Publications pertaining to the following districts are also printed and published by this Press.
1. Tiruchirappalli
2. Perambalur
3. Karur
GOVERNMENT BRANCH PRESS, SALEM
This Branch Press was opened in the year 1966. It is under the control of Deputy Works Manager, this Government Branch Press is functioning with 113 employees. Tamil Nadu Treasury Code Forms, Medical Forms and Government Examination Forms and 'A' Registers are printed and supplied by this Branch Press.
The District Gazettes in respect of the following districts are printed and published by this Press.
1. Salem 4. Namakkal
2. Coimbatore 5. The Nilgiris
3. Erode 6. Dharmapuri
GOVERNMENT BRANCH PRESS, VIRUDHACHALAM.
This Branch Press was started in the year 1966 in a rented building and now it is functioning in its own building from 1969 with 111 employees who are working in two shifts under the control of a Branch Manager. Forms and Registers are printed and supplied to the Agriculture, Public Works, Police, Fire Service, National Cadet Corps, Forest, Labour and Employment, Animal Husbandry, Medical, Industries and Commerce, Co-operation and Statistics departments of the Government.
The District Gazettes in respect of the following districts are printed and published by this Press.
1. Villupuram
2. Vellore
3. Cuddalore
GOVERNMENT BRANCH PRESS, MADURAI.
This Branch Press is functioning since 1976. 194 employees of this Press are working in two shifts under the control of a Deputy Works Manager.
Standardised and Non-Standardised forms and Registers are printed and supplied to Revenue, Treasury and Accounts, Police, Registration, Health and Commercial Taxes departments. The Seed Certification Tags of Agriculture department, indices of Government departments and schedule of rates of Public Works department are also executed in this Press.
The Gazettes of the following districts are also printed and published by this Press from 1-1-2002:
1. Madurai 4. Tirunelveli
2. Theni 5. Dindigul
3. Virudhunagar
GOVERNMENT STATIONERY STORES, CHENNAI
The Government Stationery Stores and Presses which function separately have been amalgamated and are functioning as Stationery and Printing Department from 1953. The Government Stationery Stores is now functioning with 188 employees under the ultimate control of an Assistant Director. This office is the centralised agency for the procurement of stationery articles, typewriters, duplicators, calculators and printing materials and supply to all Government departments in Tamil Nadu. Papers and boards and stationery articles are now being procured annually through open tenders and limited tenders by following Transparency Tender Rules. Typewriters, duplicators and calculators are procured through D.G.S. & D. Rate Contract. The Budget allocation provided for the purchase of stationery articles for the year 2002-2003 is Rs.26.05 crores.
GOVERNMENT PUBLICATION WING, CHENNAI.
For the sale of Government publications, there is a Government Publication wing in the Directorate campus at Anna Salai, Chennai and a Sales Sub-Depot at Government Branch Press, High Court Buildings, Chennai and they are functioning under the control of the Directorate of Stationery and Printing. Government Publications such as Acts and Rules, Codes, Manuals, Gazettes and notifications and Service Registers, etc., are being sold by these sales depots. These depots also act as agents for the sale of Government of India Publications, besides authorised agents appointed in all the Districts.
During the current financial year 2002-2003 there was a record revenue collection to the tune of Rs.67.40 lakhs through collection of publication fee and sale proceeds of Gazettes and other Government publications. LABOUR WELFARE.
300 Residential Quarters have been constructed at Tondiarpet in Chennai for the benefit of the employees of the Government Press. To look after the welfare of the employees working in Chennai, a Labour Welfare Officer, Assistant Labour Welfare Officer and Health Supervisor are working in this department. The Medical Officer attached to the dispensary at Government Central Press, Chennai periodically visits all the units including Directorate once in a week and provides necessary Medical Facilities to the employees, staff and officers.
The workers in the Government Central Press, Stationery Stores and in all other Government Branch Presses are paid cash allowance of Rs.100 each in lieu of supply of Bun and Tea. A milk allowance of Rs.2 per day per head is paid to the workers who are exposed to lead fumes in addition to Multi Vitamin Tablets.
Water Coolers are installed in the Directorate, Government Central Press and in all other Government Branch Presses and Stationery Stores.
For the Welfare of the Women Employees, Creche is provided at Central Press. An employee exclusively appointed for this purpose is looking after the Children since 1968 and the Children are supplied with Milk, Biscuits, Toys, etc. at government expense.
The men employees of Government Presses are supplied with three pairs of Polyester Uniforms once in two years with stitching charges of Rs.300 at the rate of Rs.100 per pair. The women employees are supplied with three Polyester Sarees and Blouse Pieces and a sum of Rs.60 at the rate of Rs.20 per blouse towards stitching charges is also paid to them. Canteen facilities are available for the employees, at Government Central Press, Chennai, Stationery Stores, Chennai and at the Government Branch Press, Madurai.
The Tamil Nadu Stationery and Printing Department Employees Co-operative Society Limited is functioning at Government Central Press and Branch Presses. This Co-operative Society provides loan facilities to the employees to an extent of Rs.1,50,000/-. One Calendar and one Diary are supplied to all the employees of Stationery and Printing Department at free of cost.
The Administrative set up of the Directorate of Stationery and Printing, the details of the employees, the details of performance targets and achievements of Government Presses during 2002-2003 are given in the Annexure (A to C).
Comparing to previous years, the strength of employees is getting reduced to
50% due to modernisation of certain Presses in the recent past, the production is almost is doubled and the quality of the printing has also much improved.
Apprentices are being engaged with reference to the strength of regular employees of this Department. With a view to reduce the excess work load prevailing in the binding wing of the Government Branch Presses at Salem and Pudukkottai, action is being initiated to recruit additional strength of apprentices.
Sufficient space has been provided in the Government Central Press for conducting classes on Worker Education and for Practicing Yoga.
Labour Welfare Fund is being distributed for celebrating Independance Day, Ayudha Pooja and for the purchase of Sports Materials.
PRESS IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The Government Press which was started 172 years ago in the year 1831 with 10 employees continue to function efficiently. Taking into account of the obsolete status of letter press printing process and introduction of new innovations in the printing industry, modernisation of Government Press is being felt and it is now on the anvil of implementation with a long vision, in a faced manner. As the Government Presses are on the threshold of modernisation, the surplus staff and employees working in certain sections are being redeployed to other sections in which the services are required.
The estimated quantum of impression to be printed in the standardized and non-standardised forms of various Government Departments is about 80 crores per annum. Since all the Presses are yet to be modernized and in as much as the Letter Press Process is in vogue at Trichy and Virudhachalam Government Branch Presses, and the existing age old Letter Press Printing machines deliver lesser outturn only a quantum of 54 crores of printed impressions is alone possible as against the demand of 80 crores impressions.
In recent years the printing industry in general has made substantial strides in quality of printing at reasonable prices overcoming time constraints due to automation and technical advancement introduced in the field of printing industry and achieved manufacturing excellence and industrial process optimisation. At the moment a quantum of about 55 crore impression (in R.A2 size) is being printed in Government Presses by utilising the entire capacity made available as against the estimated requirement of 80 crore impressions per annum, leaving a balance of 25 crore impression per annum for want of adequate machinery. Therefore to fill up the gap in raising demand either we should go for modernisation or outsourcing in the wake financial constraint the Government takes a conscious decision that excess demand for printing could be outsourced.
In the circumstances, a time has come now to study the entire issues in detail in the above background and take appropriate measures to achieve the requirement of printing of confidential documents and ordinary form of printing.
To study and suggest measures for categorization printing work to be undertaken by Government Presses and the printing works that could be outsourced, an expert Committee will be formed by the Government and on the basis of its report and taking into account of financial position necessary action will be taken by the Government.
O.PANNEERSELVAM,
Minister for Public Works, Prohibition and Excise and Revenue.
[Policy Notes]
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