Government of India Press, Nashik (Estd. 1955)

With the advent of Independence and Democratic set-up of the Government, the volume of printing work increased substantially, thus difficulties and delays were felt by the Government of India in publishing and printing their Administrative Reports, Laws, Acts, Departmental Codes and Manuals, Gazettes, Staff lists and other miscellaneous jobs which were necessary to keep the public and the world informed of the Government of India activities. To find out a fully considered solution to overcome these difficulties the Government constituted a Committee of Experts in the Printing trade. They toured throughout India and went into the details from all angles. Their report was out in the middle of 1948.

Besides other recommendations made by them, they considered that as there was no major press of the Government of India in the western region a full-fledged major press should be established fully equipped for Letterpress, Photo-litho and Rotaries. They considered that the location should be somewhere near Bombay where there are many Central Government Offices and which is the chief industrial and commercial capital city of India. Their recommendations were accepted by the Government and in view of its proximity to Bombay temperate climate and atmospheric humidity, choice fell on Nasik. The Standing Finance Committee approved the scheme in the end of 1948. Plant and Machinery were immediately ordered which started arriving in 1949, and which were stored in temporary hired sheds near Nasik Road Railway Station. The Central Public Works Department took up the construction of buildings for which they acquired land on the main Nasik-Poona Road, mid-way between Nasik city and Nasik Road Railway Station. The construction was taken up, and by the end of 1953, about 100 quarters for the staff were made available. In the meantime a nucleus Press was started on 22nd February, 1951 with a small staff of about100 workers. The staff was mostly brought from other presses. The strength was augmented further, on getting H. T. line in 1953. The staff strength then rose to about 300 workers.

The main press building was ready in the beginning of 1955 when machinery was shifted to the new site and erected. The press was formally opened on the 31st October, 1955. The nucleus Press was closed and the hired sheds vacated in November, 1955. About 200 more staff quarters were also ready by this time and were allotted to workers. The start was made with the Letter-Press Wing only, as neither full equipment for the other wings was available nor was there enough space. By April, 1959, 744 quarters were allotted to the workers. The capital outlay upto the end of March, 1959, on all buildings including the residential colony and plant and machinery, etc. was well over two and a half crores of rupees.

The work in the Forms Wing was started with a staff of 132 men in June, 1958. The construction of building for the Press and the residential colony was a programme of the First Five Year Plan. From the point of view of location, layout, working conditions, as well as the Planning of the Factory and Office Buildings and residential colony in one self-contained campus this press has set a pattern worthy of emulation.

As per the Cabinet decision of 20.09.2017, Govt. of India Press, Koratty, Govt. of India Press, Coimbatore and Govt. of India Text Book Press, Mysore have been merged with Govt. of India Press, Nasik.