Stationery Department – On the Path of Transformation

During the reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal in Travancore, a special section was formed in the palace to purchase and distribute stationery items. After the formation of Kerala State, this section was transformed into the Stationery Department. Initially, the department functioned as part of the State Secretariat. Later, it was separated and established as an independent department, though it continued to operate from the North Block of the Secretariat until 1978. After that, the department was shifted to the old Travancore Engineering College compound near PMG Junction with expanded storage facilities, where it continues to function even today.

Responsibilities

1. To purchase, store, and distribute paper, other stationery items, and office machines required for all departments in the state, including Government Presses.
2. To manufacture and distribute items such as file boards, office covers, and bound books required for government offices through the paper manufacturing units of the Khadi Board and charitable societies.
3. To manufacture and distribute seals and stamps used by all government offices and officers in Kerala.
4. To ensure annual contracts on a district/regional basis for the removal of waste paper generated in government offices.
5. To carry out timely repair and maintenance of office machines such as typewriters and duplicators.
6. To purchase and supply paper and other materials on a cost basis for special requirements of semi-government institutions, autonomous institutions under government control, universities, etc.
7. To purchase and distribute all materials required for government presses, including printing paper and printing ink.
8. To procure and supply paper and cover boards required by the Education Department for printing textbooks and conducting public examinations.
9. To purchase all stationery items required for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections on behalf of the Chief Electoral Officer and for three-tier Panchayat elections on behalf of the State Election Commission, and ensure their timely delivery to each district headquarters.
10. To supply stationery required by District Collectors for work related to electoral roll revision.
11. To supply stationery required by elected representatives during sessions of the Legislative Assembly.
12. To procure and supply stationery required by the Governor, Chief Minister, and other Ministers as needed.
13. With the widespread use of computers, the responsibility of supplying computer paper and related materials has also now been assigned to the Stationery Department.

Administration

The Stationery Controller is the head of the department. The other officers under the Stationery Controller are the Deputy Stationery Controller (Administration) and the Deputy Stationery Controller (Stores).
In addition to the Controller’s headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, there are four regional offices located in Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Shoranur (Palakkad), and Kozhikode, along with district offices in the remaining ten districts. The regional offices function under the control of Assistant Stationery Controllers, and the district offices function under District Stationery Officers.

For the distribution of stationery to the Secretariat, a departmental store has been functioning in the Secretariat Annex since February 2005. This store is currently under the control of the Assistant Stationery Controller, Thiruvananthapuram.