Govt gazettes 554 archaeological sites

The government has gazetted 554 immovable archaeological sites across the country and is planning to establish a National Digital Cultural Repository, Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury told Parliament on September 7.

“The list of 554 immovable archaeological sites gazetted by the government has already been published on the official website of the Department of Archaeology,” he said.

The minister made the remarks while responding to a scripted question from ruling party lawmaker Fahmida Haq (Women Seat-18) during the question-and-answer session in Parliament.

Nitai Roy said the Department of Archives and Library has undertaken a BDT 239 crore project to preserve the country's manuscripts, folk heritage and cultural artefacts, digitise them and make the collections accessible to people worldwide.

The project is currently awaiting final approval from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, he said.

Once approved, the project will facilitate the establishment of a National Digital Cultural Repository to preserve and digitally archive the country's archaeological resources, manuscripts, folk heritage and cultural artefacts, according to the minister.

“It will be possible to quickly implement a National Digital Cultural Repository to preserve the country's archaeological resources, manuscripts, folk heritage and cultural artefacts and make them accessible to people around the world,” he said.