The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) released a notification stating that it has reconstituted an Advisory Committee for Multidisciplinary Study of the River Sarasvati (also known as Ghaggar-Hakra River).It will be headed by Union Minister for Culture (Currently- Prahlad Singh Patel).
- It has been reconstituted for the next two years (2021-23), after the earlier term’s panel ended in 2019 (it was constituted in 2017).
- The committee will review the work done by the previous panel and then formulate a plan.
Members of the Committee
Official Members
- Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Water Resources, Environment & Forest, Housing and Urban Affairs.
- It would also consist of representatives from Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), officials from governments of Gujarat, Haryana & Rajasthan.
Non-Official Members
- Archaeologists – B R Mani, Vasant Shinde, K.N.Dixit & K.K. Muhammed & Historian Balmukund Pandey.
- Other members are Madan Gopa Vyas, Ratnesh Tripathi, Prabhu Sundarji Bhai Thakkar, S. Kalyan Raman, Prashant Bhardwaj, Amit Rai Jain, V M K Puri & Mukesh Garg.
Sarasvati River Committee
Objective
- To define the Sarasvati river & its basin.
- Identify geotechnical nature for study of Sarasvati basin & suggest names of competent agencies/individuals.
- To identify archaeological sites & assess their potential for development as centres of Education & Tourism.
The committee will use remote sensing imagery for studying environmental changes, history of archaeological culture with special emphasis on the protohistoric era of River Sarasvati.
River Sarasvati
- Considered a Mythical river, it is among the trio of India’s holy rivers along with Ganga & Yamuna. It is believed to have run through the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan.
- It is said to have disappeared due to tectonic disturbances, impacting its tributaries.
Recent Related News:
i.On October 26, 2020, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) signed MoU with Italy’s Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti E Paesaggio, Venice for creating a network of sharing skills for restoration and protection of historical monuments.
About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI):
It functions under the Ministry of Culture
Director General – V Vidyavathi
Head Office – New Delhi
