Varsha Aglawe Becomes First Woman to Head GSI
Veteran geoscientist takes charge as GSI's 54th Director General, marking a first in the organisation's 176-year history
- Varsha Ashok Aglawe becomes the first woman Director General of the Geological Survey of India.
- She succeeds Asit Saha as the 54th Director General of GSI.
- Aglawe brings more than three decades of experience in geoscience and administration.
- She plans to accelerate critical mineral, deep-seated and offshore mineral exploration.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st Aug: Varsha Ashok Aglawe has assumed charge as the 54th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), becoming the first woman to lead the country’s premier geoscientific organisation in its 176-year history.
Aglawe succeeds Asit Saha, who served as Director General from July 27, 2024, to July 31, 2026.
A geoscientist with more than three decades of professional experience, Aglawe joined GSI in 1992 after serving with the Indian Bureau of Mines.
During her career, she has held several scientific and administrative positions across GSI’s Central, Northern and Eastern Regions, besides serving at its Central Headquarters. Before taking over as Director General, she served as Additional Director General and Head of Department, Eastern Region, Kolkata.
Aglawe specialises in palaeontology and palynology and has contributed to research on Late Cretaceous-Palaeocene sediments, the K-T boundary and the Satpura-Gondwana basins.
One of her notable scientific contributions was identifying the Salbardi-Ghorpend area as a new dinosaur nesting site in Central India.
She has also participated in international research and collaborative palaeontological studies with the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology in the United States.
Aglawe represented GSI as part of the Indian delegation to PDAC 2023 in Toronto, Canada.
She also played a role in strengthening GSI’s scientific infrastructure, including establishing a state-of-the-art Palynology Laboratory at the organisation’s Northern Region office in Lucknow and leading multidisciplinary geoscientific programmes.
After assuming charge, Aglawe said GSI would align its programmes with the government’s priorities in critical mineral exploration and mineral security.
She stressed the need to accelerate exploration of deep-seated and concealed mineral deposits using advanced geophysical investigations, faster exploration programmes and stronger laboratory infrastructure.
Aglawe also highlighted plans to expand offshore mineral exploration, promote advanced geoscientific research and strengthen public-good geoscience programmes, including natural hazard studies and glaciology.
She also called for greater focus on scientific publications and capacity building for young geoscientists.
Aglawe said GSI’s scientific expertise and growing technological capabilities place the organisation in a strong position to meet India’s increasing demand for critical and strategic minerals while supporting sustainable resource development.
