Lok Sabha Question No. 143 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-10
Subject: Shortage of Manpower in ASI
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Shri Asaduddin Owaisi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *143

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.03.2025

## SHORTAGE OF MANPOWER IN ASI

## *143. SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI:

Will the Minister of Culture be pleased to state:

- a) whether the Ministry, its attached offices and autonomous bodies/organizations under it,  particularly  the  Archaeological  Survey  of  India  (ASI)  are  facing  a  shortfall  of manpower against their respective sanctioned strengths;
- b) if so, the details thereof;
- c) the details of the sanctioned and actual strength in ASI for each group of posts (i.e., Group A, Group B, etc.), along with the duration of vacancies;
- d) the details of the sanctioned and actual strength in ASI for each branch, particularly the Conservation Branch, along with the period of vacancy;
- e) the details of the sanctioned strength against the filled strength and vacant posts in each National Museum under the Ministry along with the period of vacancy; and
- f) the  details  of  the  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  fill  the  vacancies  (if any) and the outcome thereof so far?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF CULTURE AND TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a) to (f) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (f) IN RESPECT OF LOK SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  *143  FOR  REPLY  ON  10.03.2025  REGARDING SHORTAGE OF MANPOWER IN ASI.

- a  to  b)  Yes.  The  details  of  the  total  sanctioned  strength  and  filled  up  strength  in  respect  of Ministry of Culture (proper), its attached, subordinate and autonomous organizations are given at Annex I.
- c) The group-wise sanctioned and actual strength in ASI is as under:

| S.No.   | Group   |   Sanctioned Strength |   Actual Strength |   Vacancies reported to recruitment agencies viz. SSC/UPSC |
|---------|---------|-----------------------|-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1.      | Group-A |                   319 |               153 |                                                         71 |
| 2.      | Group-B |                   946 |               515 |                                                        244 |
| 3.      | Group-C |                  7490 |              4177 |                                                       2888 |
| Total   | Total   |                  8755 |              4845 |                                                       3203 |

The average duration of the vacancies is around two years.

- d) The branch-wise sanctioned strength and actual strength in ASI is as under:

| S.No.   | Name of the Branch   |   Sanctioned Strength |   Actual Strength |
|---------|----------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
| 1.      | Archaeology          |                   420 |               236 |
| 2.      | Conservation         |                   831 |               270 |
| 3.      | Science              |                   134 |                80 |
| 4.      | Epigraphy            |                    34 |                22 |
| 5.      | Horticulture         |                   127 |                76 |
| 6.      | Draftsman            |                    89 |                48 |
| 7.      | Surveyor             |                    53 |                31 |
| 8.      | Administrative       |                   620 |               400 |
| 9.      | Stenographer         |                    50 |                15 |
| 10.     | Library              |                    39 |                24 |
| 11.     | Photographer         |                    73 |                46 |
| 12.     | MTS                  |                  6152 |              3514 |
| 13.     | Miscellaneous        |                   133 |                83 |
| Total   | Total                |                  8755 |              4845 |

The average duration of the vacancies is around two years.

- e) The details of sanctioned strength and filled up strength in National Museum, New Delhi are as under:
- f)   The vacancies in various attached/subordinate offices and autonomous organizations of Ministry of Culture are being filled up by Promotion, Deputation and Direct Recruitment. The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) meetings for filling up the vacant posts through Promotion are held at regular intervals, subject to fulfilling of eligibility criteria. The Posts to be filled up by Deputation are advertised as per laid down procedure. The vacancies  falling  under  Direct  Recruitment  (DR)  quota  are  promptly  reported  to  the Recruitment agencies i.e.,  UPSC  and  SSC.  Further,  most  of  vacant  posts  falling  under Direct  Recruitment  quota  have  been  reported  to  Recruitment  agencies  i.e.  UPSC  and SSC.

| Sanctioned Strength               | Filled Strength           |   Vacancies reported to recruitment agencies viz. SSC/under process |
|-----------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
| The duration of the vacancies 197 | is two to three years. 94 |                                                                  59 |

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Annex I Annexure referred to Part (a) of the reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *143 to be answered on 10.03.2025.

| S.No.                    | Name of The Organization                                                    | Sanctioned Strength      | Filled Strength          |
|--------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
| 1.                       | Ministry of Culture (Proper)                                                | 280                      | 201                      |
| Attached Offices         | Attached Offices                                                            | Attached Offices         | Attached Offices         |
| 2.                       | Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi                                   | 8755                     | 4845                     |
| 3.                       | National Archives of India, New Delhi                                       | 450                      | 218                      |
| Subordinate Offices      | Subordinate Offices                                                         | Subordinate Offices      | Subordinate Offices      |
| 4.                       | National Gallery of Modern Arts, New Delhi                                  | 135                      | 53                       |
| 5.                       | National Museum, New Delhi                                                  | 197                      | 94                       |
| 6.                       | National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, Lucknow | 103                      | 25                       |
| 7.                       | Central Reference Library, Kolkata                                          | 64                       | 39                       |
| 8.                       | National Library, Kolkata                                                   | 450                      | 289                      |
| 9.                       | Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata                                    | 448                      | 245                      |
| Autonomous Organizations | Autonomous Organizations                                                    | Autonomous Organizations | Autonomous Organizations |
| 10.                      | National Monument Authority, New Delhi                                      | 13                       | 4                        |
| 11.                      | Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj                                                 | 82                       | 35                       |
| 12.                      | Asiatic Society, Kolkata                                                    | 254                      | 119                      |
| 13.                      | Centre for Cultural Resources & Training, New Delhi                         | 86                       | 43                       |
| 14.                      | Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Ladakh                               | 178                      | 140                      |

|   S.No. | Name of The Organization                                          |   Sanctioned Strength |   Filled Strength |
|---------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
|      15 | Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Varanasi             |                   228 |               227 |
|      16 | Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies, Arunachal Pradesh |                    22 |                20 |
|      17 | Delhi Public Library, New Delhi                                   |                   274 |               127 |
|      18 | Gandhi Smriti &Darshan Samiti, New Delhi                          |                   129 |                19 |
|      19 | Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manava Sangrahalaya, Bhopal               |                   118 |                78 |
|      20 | Indian Museum, Kolkata                                            |                   138 |                62 |
|      21 | Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi                 |                   247 |               146 |
|      22 | Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna                       |                    52 |                19 |
|      23 | Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai                                   |                   120 |                85 |
|      24 | Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi                                     |                   170 |                59 |
|      25 | Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies, Kolkata       |                    14 |                12 |
|      26 | National Council of Science Museums, Kolkata                      |                   894 |               733 |
|      27 | Prime Ministers Museum& Library, New Delhi                        |                   229 |               196 |
|      28 | National School of Drama, New Delhi                               |                   125 |                70 |
|      29 | Indian Institute of Heritage, Noida                               |                    19 |                15 |
|      30 | Nav Nalanda Mahavihara, Bihar                                     |                    71 |                57 |
|      31 | Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation, Kolkata                    |                    68 |                28 |

| S.No.   | Name of The Organization                     |   Sanctioned Strength |   Filled Strength |
|---------|----------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
| 32.     | Rampur Raza Library, Rampur                  |                    31 |                21 |
| 33.     | Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi             |                   120 |                42 |
| 34.     | Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi                   |                   175 |               135 |
| 35.     | Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad                 |                   130 |                85 |
| 36.     | Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata              |                   175 |                53 |
| 37.     | North Zone Culture Centre, Patiala           |                    33 |                22 |
| 38.     | South Zone Culture Centre, Thanjavur         |                    33 |                13 |
| 39.     | South Central Zone Culture Centre, Nagpur    |                    33 |                 8 |
| 40.     | North East Zone Culture Centre, Nagaland     |                    33 |                29 |
| 41.     | West Zone Culture Centre, Udaipur            |                    33 |                20 |
| 42.     | Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata       |                    34 |                21 |
| 43.     | North Central Zone Culture Centre, Prayagraj |                    33 |                 8 |
| Total   | Total                                        |                 15276 |              8760 |

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