.-In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires,--(a)"Act" means the Public Records Act, 1993 (69 of 1993);(b)"appraisals" means the evaluation of public records in association with the National Archives of India or Archives of Union territory as the case may be;(c)"classified records" means the files relating to the public records classified as top-secret, secret, confidential and restricted in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Manual of Departmental Security Instructions circulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs from time to time;(d)"custody" means the possession of public records;(e)"defunct body" means a corporate or non-corporate body which has been wound up with no successor to carry on its functions;(f)"file" means a collection of papers relating downgrade the security classifications after their evaluation;(g)"file" means a collection of papers relating to the public records on a specific subject-matter consisting of correspondence, notes and appendix thereto and assigned with a file number;(h)"Form" means the form appended to these rules;(i)"private records" means records lying in the possession of a private individual or with any non-governmental organisation;(j)"recording" means the process of closing a file after action on all issues considered thereon has been completed;(k)"records of permanent nature" means the public records being maintained after recording for a period specified, under sub-rule (1) of rule 5 by the records creating agency in accordance with the procedure laid in its Manual of Office Procedure or Instructions on the subject;(l)"retention Schedule of records" means a Schedule which provides the period of retention;(m)"review" means periodical evaluation of recorded files on the expiry of the period of retention for determining their further retention or destruction, as the case may be;(n)"section" means the section of the Act;(o)"standing guard file" means a compilation of papers on a particular subject-matter consisting of copies of policy decisions, orders, instructions or any another matter incidental thereto arranged in a chronological order;(p)words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Act, shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them in the Act.
