The Union Ministry of Culture on Wednesday announced the setting up of seven new administrative circles of the the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in order to improve the management of monuments.
Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said the decision was taken in accordance with “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to facilitate and strengthen the process of preservation and registration of archaeological monuments, along with registration of artefacts with self-declaration”.
New circles in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Trichy (Tamil Nadu), Jhansi and Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Raiganj (West Bengal) and Rajkot (Gujarat) have been created. The Hampi mini circle has been upgraded to a circle, and the Delhi mini circle has been merged with the Delhi circle.
“In a large State like Tamil Nadu, which has thousands of temples and glorious memories of the Chola kings, Trichy has been made a new circle, along with the circle of Chennai,” Mr. Patel said.
