Lok Sabha Question No. 2171 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-05
Subject: Central Advisory Board on Archaeology
Ministry: CULTURE
Asked by: Dr. T Sumathy Alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CULTURE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2171 ANSWARED ON 05.08.2024

## CENTRAL ADVISORY BOARD ON ARCHAEOLOGY

## 2171. Dr. T SUMATHY ALIAS THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN:

Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state:-

- a) whether the Government has reconstituted the Central Advisory Board on Archaeology (CABA) in 2022, seven  years  after  its  last  meeting,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the present composition and members of the CABA;
- b) whether  the  Government  has  taken  appropriate  measures  to  excavate  and  publish  the archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu State during the last ten years and if so, the details thereof;
- c) the  total  number  of  Sanctioned  posts,  present  status,  vacant posts of Directors, Superintending  Archaeologists,  Deputy  SAs,  Assistant  Archaeologists,  Superintending Epigraphists, Deputy Superintending Epigraphists, Assistant Epigraphists, Conservation Assistants, Curators all Class A,B,C and D employees in Archaeological Survey of India (ASI); and
- d) whether  the  Government  has  initiated  any  special  recruitment  drive  for  filling  up  of vacancies  in  SC/ST/OBC  and  Minority  communities  in  ASI  and  if  so,  the  details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes Sir. Notification was published in The Gazette of India on 19 th May 2022.
- (b) Yes Sir. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) conducts excavations all over the country including Tamil Nadu. Sites excavated in Tamil Nadu during the last 10 years are listed in Annexure I.
- (c) The details are provided in Annexure II.
- (d) The  vacancies  which  include  SC/ST/OBC  and  Minority  Communities  falling  under Direct Recruitment Quota are reported from time to time to the Recruitment agencies i.e., UPSC and SSC.

Annexure- I

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2171 FOR 05.08.2024

## List of the excavation sites for the last ten years and status of reports

|    | Name of the site                                                                                             | Agency                                    | Year of excavation   | Report Details    |
|----|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------|-------------------|
|  1 | Pulicat, District Tiruvallur                                                                                 | ASI                                       | 2013-14              | Report submitted. |
|  2 | Keeladi, District Sivaganga                                                                                  | ASI                                       | 2014-15 to 2016- 17  | Report submitted. |
|  3 | Kodumanal, District Erode                                                                                    | ASI                                       | 2017-18              | -                 |
|  4 | Adichanallur District Thoothukudi                                                                            | ASI                                       | 2021-22              | -                 |
|  5 | Adichanallur habitation mound and its cluster of habitation mounds (Agaram, Tirukolur), District Thoothukudi | ASI                                       | 2022-23              | -                 |
|  6 | Vadakkupattu, District Kanchipuram                                                                           | ASI                                       | 2022-23 2023-24      | -                 |
|  7 | Gangaikondacholap uram, District Ariyalur                                                                    | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu | 2020-21 to 2022-23   | Report submitted  |
|  8 | Alagankulam, District Ramanathapuram                                                                         | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu | 2014-2015 2016-2017  | -                 |
|  9 | Kodumanal, District Erode                                                                                    | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu | 2019-2020 2020-2021  | -                 |
| 10 | Srirangam, District Tiruchirapalli                                                                           | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu | 2013-2014 2014-2015  | -                 |
| 11 | UkkiranKottai, District Tirunelveli                                                                          | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu | 2014-2015            | -                 |

|   12 | Pattaraiperumbudur, District Tiruvallur   | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2015-2016 2017-2018 2022-2023   | Report published                                                             |
|------|-------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   13 | Keeladi, District Sivagangai              | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2017-2018 to 2023-2024          | Interim reports till the last seasons had been submitted. Ongoing excavation |
|   14 | Adichanallur, District Thoothukudi        | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2019-2020 2020-2021             | Interim Report submitted                                                     |
|   15 | Sivagalai, District Thoothukudi           | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2019-2020 to 2021-2022          | Interim Report submitted                                                     |
|   16 | Mayiladumparai, DistrictKrishnagiri       | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2020-2021 2021-2022             | Interim Report submitted                                                     |
|   17 | Vembakkottai, DistrictVirudhunagar        | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2021-2022 to 2023-2024          | Interim Report submitted Ongoing excavation                                  |
|   18 | Thulukkarpatti, District Tirunelveli      | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2021-2022 2022-2023             | Interim Report submitted                                                     |
|   19 | Perumbalai, District Dharmapuri           | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2021-2022                       | Excavation report published                                                  |
|   20 | Kilnamandi, District Tiruvannamalai       | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2022-2023 2023-2024             | Interim Report submitted Ongoing excavation                                  |
|   21 | Porpanaikkottai, District Pudukottai      | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2022-2023 2023-2024             | Interim Report submitted Ongoing excavation                                  |
|   22 | Boothinatham, District Dharmapuri         | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2022-2023                       | -                                                                            |
|   23 | Tirumalapuram, District Tenkasi           | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2023-2024                       | Ongoing excavation                                                           |
|   24 | Chennanoor, District Krishnagiri          | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2023-2024                       | Ongoing excavation                                                           |
|   25 | Kongalnagaram, District Tiruppur          | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2023-2024                       | Ongoing excavation                                                           |
|   26 | Marungur, District Cuddalore              | Dept. of Archaeology, Govt. of Tamil Nadu   | 2023-2024                       | Ongoing excavation                                                           |

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2171 FOR 05.08.2024

The total number of Sanctioned Posts, present status, vacant posts of class A, B, C employees in ASI is as under: -

|         |   Sanctioned Strength |   Filled |   Vacant |
|---------|-----------------------|----------|----------|
| Group A |                   313 |      144 |      169 |
| Group B |                   979 |      710 |      269 |
| Group C |                  7486 |     4793 |     2693 |

Further, the Sanctioned  Posts, present status, vacant posts of Director,  Superintending Archaeologist,  Deputy  SA,  Assistant  Archaeologists,  Superintending  Epigraphist,  Deputy Superintending Epigraphist, Assistant Epigraphists, Conservation Assistants and Curators is as under:-

|   Sl.No. | Name of Post                      |   Sanctioned Strength |   Filled |   Vacant |
|----------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------|----------|----------|
|        1 | Director                          |                    18 |       11 |       09 |
|        2 | Superintending Archaeologist      |                    48 |       38 |       10 |
|        3 | Deputy SAs                        |                   120 |       35 |       85 |
|        4 | Assistant Archaeologist           |                   150 |       95 |       55 |
|        5 | Superintending Epigraphist        |                    03 |       01 |       02 |
|        6 | Deputy Superintending Epigraphist |                    06 |       01 |       05 |
|        7 | Assistant Epigraphist             |                    16 |       14 |       02 |
|        8 | Conservation Assistant            |                   540 |      114 |      426 |
|        9 | Curators                          |                    00 |       00 |       00 |