About PIB Archives

Although PIB was set up in the 1930s, it is now possible to trace the earliest PIB press releases from 1947 only. Consequently, official communications issued by the Government of India from 1947 onwards can now be found in the PIB Archives section.

To go to the archives, one has to go to the PIB website, https://pib.gov.in and then click on the tab “Archive” or alternatively go to https://archive.pib.gov.in/ , which takes one to the landing page of PIB Archives. To access any particular release, one needs to know: 1) Year and Month 2) Or the Ministry 3) or if none of the former is known, text-search can be done using keywords.

The archived records are available on the PIB website as given above, divided into three periods: 1947 to 2001 (3.33 lakh press releases), 2002-2003; and 2004 onwards. From 2004 onwards, photos released by Photo Division (which is now a part of PIB) are also archived.

The official communications have further been classified Year-wise and Ministry wise, and also made searchable, using keywords. Within any given year, the press releases have been further arranged month-wise.

The PIB Archives Digitization Project

Starting from 1947 till date, press releases numbering more than half a million, had been archived in paper form, bound in volumes, and were kept in PIB’s erstwhile library in Rajiv Chowk, New Delhi.

Recognizing the rapid deterioration of paper, and also recognizing the tremendous value of the material in documenting the communication activities of the Government, right from Independence to our time, the PIB undertook a project to digitize these fragile but invaluable records.

Accordingly, during the period from 2015 to 2018, the huge volumes were digitized, and the actual volumes handed over to the National Archives of India.

They were then uploaded on to the PIB website, as given above.

The archives contain many little-known facets of the journey of our nation over the years. We hope that you find the archives interesting and helpful; by providing us a window to our past, as manifested in the official communications of the government, they can give us a fresh appreciation of our present and future.