 "Geoscience advisory council to meet in Delhi tomorrow")
The Union Minister of Mines Dinsha J Patel will chair the meeting, which will discuss issues like identifying critical areas in the field of geoscience in short, medium and long-term periods and develop strategies to enable the challenge to be addressed. Work out priorities for over the next five, 10 and 20 year periods, the ministry of mines said in a statement.
The GAC was constituted in 2011, as per the recommendations of the High Powered Committee (HPC) of the Government of India constituted in January 2008. Based on the recommendations of the HPC, it was decided that agencies like Geological Survey of India (GSI), Atomic Mineral Division of DAE, ONGC, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Central Ground Water Board, National Geophysical research Institute, NHPC, Coal India (CMPDI), Universities etc engaged or dealing with Geoscience aspect in the country should jointly endeavour for a better-integrated and holistic approach.
The Geoscience Advisory Council is a high-powered committee with the Union minister/ minister of state for mines as Chairman and Secretary, ministry of mines as Vice Chairman. Geoscience Advisory Council provides a platform to the administrators, Earth Scientists, and Academicians to deliberate and suggest the gap areas in our present system of pursuing Geoscience and the direction which organizations, individually and collectively, should pursue to meet future challenges.
The GAC advises Ministry of Mines on geoscientific policy matters in general and the role and direction of the Geological Survey of India in particular with following terms of reference, which includes advising the Ministry of Mines on geoscientific policy initiatives including synergetic coordination with similar activities in other institutions. It also helps in identifying new areas for fundamental and multidisciplinary geoscience (including global climatic change) and recommending methods for optimising resources for scientific R&D in such areas.