Air Force Record Office completes 80 years

The Air Force Record Office (AFRO) on Saturday celebrated its 80th anniversary of formation with ceremonial fervour at Subroto Park here.

The Air Commodore AR Shendye VM delivered a performance status report as a prelude to the ceremony. He also gave a gist of the events being undertaken to commemorate the event.

The activities included the inauguration of the AFRO History Cell and Museum by Air Vice Marshal GS Bedi VM VSM, mini sports Olympiad, walkathon (for ladies), marathon (for men), painting competition (for children), cycling expedition, tree plantation and blood donation camp.

The highlight of the evening was the release of a Coffee Table Book titled 'AFRO Through the Ages' by Air Marshal Raghunath Nambiar PVSM AVSM VM & Bar ADC, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Air Command.

After its formation as IAF Record Office at Ambala in 1939, AFRO changed several locations such as Lahore in 1941, Bombay in 1942, Madras in 1946 and New Delhi in 1947 before finding its permanent location at Subroto Park in 1966.

During its eight decades of existence, its growth has been closely interlinked with that of the IAF. Initially handling the end to end HR management of 14,100 Hawai Sepoys in 1947, today it has grown into a mammoth institution looking after nearly 1,43,000 Air Warriors.

Its aim now is to automate all manual processes and reduce paper movement between outlying field units and AFRO, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. The skilled and dedicated personnel of 'Team AFRO' follow the IAF tenet of "Mission, Integrity & Excellence" in the discharge of their duties so that the IAF touches the sky with glory.