By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, APR 25, 2017: THE Modi Govt has finally taken a call to modernise the Govt Press at Minto Road at cost of Rs 339 Crore.

Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu has accepted the recommendation of the Standing Finance Committee in this regard.

The present building of the Press will be redeveloped at a cost of Rs.238.56 cr into three blocks of Ground plus six floors suitable to locate the modern technology and equipment to be installed at a cost of Rs.100 cr.

At present, the machines and equipment being used are of 1980-2005 vintage and some of them installed as early as in 1968, resulting in high cost of production, demand for printing not being met in time besides non-availability of spare parts requiring their refabrication.

With redevelopment and modernisation, the production capacity of the Government of India Printing Press at Minto Road in the national capital will increase from the present 16 lakh pages per day (60 cr pages per year)of A-5 size to 45 lakh pages per day (164.96 cr pages per year) marking an increase of 177% in production capacity. Multi-colour printing, which is not available presently will be made available.

This Government Printing Press meets all printing needs of both the Houses of Parliament including day to day Parliamentary proceedings, Question Lists, Bills, Acts, Synopsis, Reports, Debates, Who’s Who, Parliamentary Committee reports besides the needs of Cabinet Secretariat and various Ministries and Departments of central government. Due to lack of multi-colour printing facility at present, such work as in the case of printing of Annual Reports of various ministries and departments is being outsourced.

The entire redevelopment and modernisation work would be completed in 52 months from now.

From the available land of 22,017 sq.mtres, about 1.50 acres would be transferred to the Ministry of Finance for construction of building for Controller General of Accounts and Public Finance Management System (PFMS).