## Policy Analysis Report: Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 - Registering Officers Appointment
**1. Executive Summary:**
This report analyzes a notification (S.O. 3514E) issued by the Ministry of Culture, Archaeological Survey of India, dated July 29, 2022. This notification amends a previous notification (G.S.R. Number 360, dated 29th September, 2017) concerning the appointment of registering officers under Section 15 of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. The core purpose of this amendment is to update the list of designated officers and their respective jurisdictions for the registration of antiquities and art treasures across India. Key findings highlight specific officers and their assigned districts or states, impacting those involved in owning, dealing, or researching antiquities and art treasures within those areas.
**2. Introduction:**
This report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the aforementioned notification pertaining to the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. The analysis is based solely on the provided policy text and focuses on identifying the key changes introduced by this amendment.
**3. Policy Overview:**
* This notification is an **amendment** to the Ministry of Culture's G.S.R. Number 360, dated September 29, 2017, which related to the same subject matter.
* **Core Objective:** The core objective, as inferred from the text, is to designate specific individuals (by title and name) as registering officers under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, and to define their areas of jurisdiction. This facilitates the effective implementation of the Act, likely related to the registration and regulation of antiquities and art treasures.
**4. Background and Rationale:**
The amendment likely addresses the need to update the list of registering officers due to personnel changes, redistricting of administrative areas, or a reassessment of resource allocation to ensure adequate coverage for the registration and protection of antiquities and art treasures. The amendment supersedes the previous notification, except for actions already completed under that previous notification, ensuring a smooth transition.
**5. Key Provisions / Changes:**
This notification focuses on *specific* changes to the list of registering officers.
* **What is being changed:** The notification supersedes the previous list of registering officers designated under G.S.R. Number 360, dated September 29, 2017.
* **What the *new* rule/provision *is*:** The notification presents a new TABLE specifying the following for each entry:
* S. No.
* ASI Circle
* State
* Districts
* Designation of the Officer
* Name of the Officer
For example, in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, for the districts Agra, Mathura, Etah, Hathras, Aligarh, Etawah, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Kashganj, the Deputy Superintending Archaeologist (Sunita Tewatia) is designated as the registering officer.
* **Difference/Effect:** The notification replaces the previous list with an updated one. The effect is that owners, dealers, and researchers of antiquities and art treasures must now correspond with the newly designated officers in their respective jurisdictions for registration and related matters. The specific changes are evident in the change of names, titles, and districts assigned to each officer. Note the creation of a new ASI Circle in Hampi, Karnataka.
**6. Target Audience and Stakeholders:**
The primary target audience and stakeholders include:
* **Owners of Antiquities and Art Treasures:** Individuals or entities possessing items that fall under the definition of antiquities and art treasures as defined by the Act.
* **Dealers in Antiquities and Art Treasures:** Businesses or individuals involved in the trade of such items.
* **Researchers and Academics:** Those studying or working with antiquities and art treasures.
* **Archaeological Survey of India (ASI):** The implementing agency responsible for overseeing the registration process.
* **State Governments:** As the Act impacts the regulation of antiquities within their respective jurisdictions.
**7. Implementation Aspects (Inferred):**
* **Responsible Agency:** Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), specifically the officers designated in the table, is responsible for implementing this notification.
* **Procedures:** The notification implies that owners and dealers must now register with the *newly* designated registering officers within their respective jurisdictions. The process for registration itself isn't detailed in this notification but is presumably governed by the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, and related regulations.
**8. Expected Outcomes / Impact of Changes:**
The likely intended outcome of these specific changes is to:
* Ensure efficient and effective registration of antiquities and art treasures by having designated officers responsible for specific areas.
* Improve compliance with the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, through clear assignment of responsibilities.
* Facilitate better management and protection of India's cultural heritage.
**9. Conclusion:**
The notification (S.O. 3514E) amends the previous list of registering officers under the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. By updating the designated officers and their jurisdictions, this amendment plays a vital role in the ongoing efforts to regulate and protect India's cultural heritage. Stakeholders need to be aware of the newly assigned officers in their respective areas to ensure compliance with the Act. The creation of the Hampi ASI Circle suggests a potential increase in focus on the Vijayanagara region's cultural heritage.
Key Entities Referenced
Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972: A law referenced in the notification, specifically section 15, which grants powers related to registering officers.
Central Government: The entity issuing the notification and appointing registering officers.
Archaeological Survey of India: Ministry of Culture's Department issuing notification.
Agra Uttar Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Agra, Mathura, Etah, Hathras, Aligarh, Etawah, Mainpuri, Firozabad, Kashganj in Uttar Pradesh.
Amravati Andhra Pradesh: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Andhra Pradesh.
Aizawl Mizoram: ASI Circle includes states of Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura.
Aurangabad Maharashtra: ASI Circle which includes districts Aurangabad, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Nasik, Beed, Nandurbar, Nanded, Jalna, Dhule, Hingoli, Parbhani, Osmanabad, Latur in Maharashtra.
Bangalore Karnataka: ASI Circle which includes districts Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Chikkaballapura, Kolara, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Davanagere, Hassan, Chickkamagaluru, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada South Canara, Kodagu Coorg, Mysuru, Chamarajanagara, Shivamogga, Ramanagar, Mandya in Karnataka.
Bhopal Madhya Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Ashok Nagar, Bhind, Bhopal, Burhanpur, Datia, Dewas, Dhar, Gwalior, Harda, Khandwa, Khargone, Mandsore, Morena, Nimach, Raisen, Sehore, Shivpuri, Ujjain, Vidisha, Ratlam, Jhabua, Alirajpur, Barwani, Betul, Indore, Shajapur, Agar Malwa, Rajgarh, Guna, Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh.
Bhubaneswar Odisha: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Odisha.
Chandigarh Haryana: ASI Circle which includes the states of Haryana, Punjab and Union Territory of Chandigarh
Chennai Tamil Nadu: ASI Circle which includes districts Chennai, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Chengalpattu, Erode, Kallakurichi, Kanchipuram, Namakkal, Perambalur, Ranipet, Salem, Tiruvallur, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Villupuram, and Union Territory of Puducherry
Dehradun Uttarakhand: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Uttarakhand.
Delhi National Capital Territory: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole Union Territory of Delhi.
Dharwad Karnataka: ASI Circle which includes districts Bagalkot, Belgaum, Vijayapura Bijapur, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Uttara Kannada in Karnataka.
Goa: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Goa.
Guwahati Assam: ASI Circle which includes the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
Hampi Karnataka: ASI Circle which includes districts Vijayanagara New ly formed, Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, Gulbarga, Bider in Karnataka.
Hyderabad Telangana: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Telangana.
Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Anuppur, Balaghat, Chhatarpur, Chhindwara, Damoh, Dindori, Narmadapuram Hoshangabad Jabalpur, Katni, Mandla, Panna, Rewa, Sagar, Satna, Seoni, Shahdol, Sidhi, Narsinghpur, Niwari, Singroli, Umariya, Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh.
Jaipur Rajasthan: ASI Circle which includes districts Alwar, Baran, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bundi, Churu, Dausa, Dholpur, Jaipur, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Karauli, Kota, Swaimadhopur, Sikar, Tonk in Rajasthan.
Jhansi Uttar Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh.
Jodhpur Rajasthan: ASI Circle which includes districts Ajmer, Banswara, Barmer, Bikaner, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, Pratapnagar, Rajsamand, Sirohi, Udaipur in Rajasthan.
Leh Union Territory Of Ladakh: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole Union Territory of Ladakh.
Kolkata West Bengal: ASI Circle which includes districts Bankura, Birbhum, Howrah, Hooghly, Jhargram, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Purulia, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Paschim, Medinipur, and Union Territory of Andaman Nicobar Islands.
Lucknow Uttar Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Auraiya, Ayodhya, Bahraich, Balrampur, Barabanki, Farukhabad, Fatehpur, Gonda, Hardoi, Kannauj, Kanpur Nagar, Kanpur Dehat, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Maharajganj, Pilibhit, Rae Bareli, Sahajahanpur, Siddharth Nagar, Sravasti, Sitapur, Unnao in Uttar Pradesh.
Meerut Uttar Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Amroha, Baghpat, Bareilly, Bijnor, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Rampur, Saharanpur, Sambhal, Shamli in Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai Maharashtra: ASI Circle which includes districts Mumbai, Mumbai suburban, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Pune, Kolhapur in Maharashtra.
Nagpur Maharashtra: ASI Circle which includes districts Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, Yavatmal in Maharashtra.
Patna Bihar: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Bihar.
Raiganj Sikkim: ASI Circle which includes districts Murshidabad, Malda, South Dinajpur, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and the whole state of Sikkim.
Raipur Chhattisgarh: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Chhattisgarh.
Rajkot Gujarat: ASI Circle which includes districts Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Devbhumi Dwarka, Gir Somnath, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kachchh, Morbi, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surendranagar in Gujarat.
Ranchi Jharkhand: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Jharkhand.
Sarnath Uttar Pradesh: ASI Circle which includes districts Varanasi, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Ballia, Sonbhadra, Ghazipur, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Jaunpur, Mau, Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Santkabeer Nagar, Amethi, Ambedkar Nagar, Basti, Kushinagar, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Shimla Himachal Pradesh: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole state of Himachal Pradesh.
Srinagar Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir.
Thrissur Kerala: ASI Circle which encompasses the whole states of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep.
Trichy Tamil Nadu: ASI Circle which includes districts Ariyalur, Coimbatore, Dindigul, Kanniyakumari, Karur, Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Nagarcoil, Nilgiris, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, Tenkasi, Thanjavur, Theni, Tiruchirapalli, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Tiruvarur, Toothukudi, Virudunagar in Tamil Nadu.
Vadodara Gujarat: ASI Circle which includes districts Ahmedabad, Anand, Aravalli, Banaskantha, Bharuch, Chhota Udaipur, Dahod, Dang, Gandhinagar, Kheda, Mahisagar, Mehsana, Narmada, Navsari, Panchmahal, Patan, Sabarkantha, Surat, Tapi, Vadodara, Valsad in Gujarat and whole Union Territories of Daman, Diu, and Dadra Nagar Haveli.
G.S.R. Number 360: Notification of the Ministry of Culture, dated the 29th September, 2017.
VIDYAVATHI VAIDYANATHAN: Director General