8/12/2019 Archaeology Needs Support _ the Hindu

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Opinion Editorial

Published: January 17, 2013 00:35 IST | Updated: January 17, 2013 00:35 IST

Archaeology needs support

The recently inauurated e!hibiti"n # $edisc"%erin India: 1&'1(2011 # in )elhi *as a +ittin +inale t" the year(l"ncelebrati"ns "+ the 150th anni%ersary "+ the rchae"l"ical Sur%ey "+ India -SI./ This e!hibiti"n displayed theachie%eents "+ SI in the past +i%e decades/ The list is l"n and ipressi%e: disc"%eries "+ e!istence "+ arappanculture in places such as alibanan in $aasthan and )h"la%ira in 4uarat e!ca%ati"ns at 6uddhist sites inanaanhali in arnataa and 6"!anaar in Tripura sal%ae "perati"ns at 8aaruna"nda, ndhra Pradesh, andc"nser%ati"n e++"rts in api, arnataa, are s"e "+ its rearable pr"ects/ The SI pr"tects 3,'77 "nuentsand has c"pied "re than 79,000 inscripti"ns/ It has shaped the discipline "+ archae"l"y, hist"ry and heritaec"nser%ati"n in the c"untry thr"uh these sini+icant c"ntributi"ns/ )espite all this, the +act reains that the SIhas n"t instituti"nally inn"%ated t" eet eerin challenes/ State apathy and p""r +inancial supp"rt ha%e addedt" its *"es/ The uesti"n is h"* t" c"ntinue the ""d *"r and secure the past better +"r the +uture/

rt and culture recei%ed "nly a eare 0/1' per cent "+ the t"tal ;entral Plan "+ the "%ernent in the ear plan all"cati"n/ s a result, the ?inistry "+ ;ulture, *hich the SI is a part "+, recei%ed "nly a +racti"n "+

*hat it needed/ This p""r +undin pattern is unliely t" ipr"%e/ ="r the year 2012(13, the "%ernent hassancti"ned "nly "ne(third "+ the reuested $s/ 2,&1' cr"re/ @+ the scant +unds that the SI recei%es in turn, less than"ne per cent is spent "n e!ca%ati"ns -2011(12./ This *"uld neither help e!pand the in%estiati"n "+ the une!pl"redhist"rical landscape n"r lead t" reater in%estent in archae"l"ical science/ The casual appr"ach t" publicati"n "+rep"rts als" re+lects the declinin ip"rtance "+ e!ca%ati"n/ )espite the Parliaentary Standin ;"ittee "nTransp"rt, T"uris and ;ulture reindin the SI t" speed up the publicati"n "+ 5' pendin e!ca%ati"n rep"rts +i%e

years a", pr"ress has been tardy/ In 2007, the A"rin 4r"up "n rt and ;ulture +"r the ear planrec"ended that "re hist"rical structures sh"uld be pr"tected and the SI sh"uld n"ti+y e%ery year ab"ut 70unpr"tected structures as "nuents +"r better care/ 6ut n"t uch has happened "n this +r"nt t""/ The"%ernent sh"uld enhance +undin and c"n+er the status "+ a scienti+ic instituti"n "n the SI t" eet its specialneeds/ ="r its part, the SI sh"uld decentralise and ae its +i%e rei"nal direct"rates aut"n""us/ They in turn,

*ith acti%e participati"n "+ l"cal "%ernents, sh"uld unra%el "re "+ the hidden past and pr"tect the better/

ey*"rds: $edisc"%erin India,rchae"l"ical Sur%ey "+ India/ SI, e!ca%ati"n rep"rtsPrintable %ersi"n | Jun 3, 2013 7:0':59 ? | http:BB***/thehindu/c"B"pini"nBedit"rialBarchae"l"y(needs(supp"rtBarticle93139'2/ece

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aeology needs support | The Hindu http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/archaeology-needs-sup

6/3/2013