From Lokpal stir to rural development initiatives, Anna Hazare's papers to be part of PMML archives

Pune, Jan 7 (PTI) The Prime Ministers' Museum and Library (PMML), New Delhi, will preserve the correspondence and papers of veteran activist Anna Hazare, recognising his contribution to social reforms, rural development and anti-corruption movements, including the 2011 agitation for Lokpal, his close aide said on Wednesday.

Hazare's associate Datta Awari claimed a PMML team, led by Neeraj Kumar and Jitumani Sharma, under the guidance of Associate Director Ravi Mishra, arrived at Ralegan Siddhi, the activist's native village in Ahilyanagar district, western Maharashtra, to initiate the process.

Documents to be archived included material related to Hazare's social work, the historic 2011 Lokpal movement in New Delhi, village development initiatives, water conservation efforts and campaigns against corruption. These will be preserved at the PMML archives for historical and academic research, he said.

Over the years, the Armyman-turned-activist, who is in his 80s, has led numerous movements to promote rural development, increase transparency in government functioning, and curb corruption. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.

Hazare's papers are expected to hold significant academic and historical value, given his leadership of the Lokpal movement and long-standing work in rural development and the fight against corruption, said a release quoting PMML officials.

The PMML is an internationally renowned autonomous academic institution engaged in research on modern and contemporary Indian history. Its archives house institutional collections of organisations such as the AICC, Janata Party, DAV College Trust and Management Society, and personal papers of eminent figures, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Charan Singh, Chandrashekhar and Jayaprakash Narayan.

According to the release, the archives mainly consist of original correspondence, diaries, unpublished documents, notes, speeches and articles of prominent personalities. The institution is also undertaking a major digitisation project to make archival material accessible to scholars. PTI SPK RSY