Bhubaneswar, June 9: The Odisha State Archives will focus on digitising rare records of various landmark events related to the recent history of the state.

"The archives are in possession of a number of important documents of various prominent events such as Nabakalebar and natural calamities. We are trying to make it accessible to all," said tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda on the occasion of International Archives Day celebrations today.

Apart from making these records available on the website, the government is also working towards digitising them through DVDs.

The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been entrusted with the job of restoring the website. The records will also be published in book form.

The process began a year ago when over six lakh records in the form of loose sheets, files, old gazettes, maps and newspapers housed in the archives were conserved in the laboratory belonging to the pre-Independence era. Now, the focus will be on putting up records belonging to the post-Independence period.

"These documents contain crucial information, and so, their preservation for future generations is very important," said head of the institution Bhagyalipi Malla.

"There are a lot of documents about Odisha lying scattered with various associations across the country. We are trying to collect and conserve them in the state archives," said Panda.

An exhibition showcasing the damage caused by the Odisha famine of 1866 was also held.