INTRODUCTION
The Goa Gazetteer Department which was formed in 1970 is one of the research oriented Department created for preparation of District Gazetteers and Taluka Gazetteers for the State of Goa. Apart from this, the Department is mainly engaged in translating Portuguese records related to Goa’s history. The Goa Gazetteer Department was formed as the Goa Gazetteer Editorial Board vide order no. RD/EST/GAZ/295/69 dated 2nd May 1970 for the preparation of the Gazetteers for the erstwhile districts of Goa, Daman & Diu (then Union Territory). Consequently vide Forty-Sixth Amendment to the Business of the Government of Goa (Allocation) Rules, 1987, the erstwhile Goa Gazetteer Department is now Department of Goa Gazetteer and Historical Record. Updating the present Volume of the Gazetteer and preparation of Taluka Gazetteer along with translation of historical records from Portuguese to English and publication of the same is the core functioning of the Department.
MEANING, SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE OF GAZETTEER:
A Gazetteer literally means a geographical index or a geographical dictionary. Its scope is however much wider. It presents within a limited range and in a readable manner, a comprehensive view of the state and its people. It provides authentic information on the physical features of the region, related history and discusses its social, political and economic life of the people inhabiting the region. Thus serves as a guide to the administrator, a source of information to the researchers and reference book for the general public and visiting tourists.
The Gazetteers are classified into Districts, State and National series according to its scope and importance. Besides, the department also carries out the work of standardization of the spellings of place names and railway station names in Goa in Roman and Devnagari script under the State Names Authority chaired by the Honorable Minister for Revenue, Government of Goa with the Executive Editor as its Members Secretary.
The Department has published Gazetteer of the Union Territory of Goa Daman and Diu in 1979, which was re-printed in 2009. Also two volumes of Who’s Who of Freedom Fighters along with several trial files are published by the Department till date.
SCOPE OF THE DEPARTMENT
The Department is entrusted with following work as per the Forty-Sixth Amendment to the Business of the Government of Goa (Allocation) Rules, 1987 vide Notification no. 23/1/87-GA&C (Vol. V)/2123 dated 6th June 2023:
(a) Preparation of State Gazetteer, Taluka Gazetteer and District Gazetteers for the State of Goa
(b) Acquisition, preservation and digitization of records related to Goa’s struggle for freedom and other manuscripts of historical importance.
(c) Legislations for regulation and management of manuscripts of Portuguese period of historical importance.
(d) Translations of Portuguese records into English.
(e) Manuscript Conservation centre
(f) Commemoration of historical days related to Goa’s past.
(g) To setup Government Analytics Research Institute.
ORGANIZATIONAL HIERARCHY
The Department is headed by Executive Editor who is the Head of the Department under Rule 1(g) of the Goa Delegation of Financial Powers Rule, 2008 vide order No. 1/18/2017/Fin (Bud)/973 dated 19/01/2024. Executive Editor is the Ex-officio Joint Secretary and also the Budget controlling authority.