A Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended the establishment of a central authority for managing glaciers in the country, emphasizing their strategic importance as a vital national resource. The committee’s report, presented in Lok Sabha, highlighted the multitude of ministries, departments, and institutions responsible for dealing with Himalayan glaciers, including the Geological Survey of India, Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Department of Science Technology, and the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research. The committee stressed the urgent need for new strategies to address the challenges of climate change and global warming in glacier management. It called for the coordination of efforts among government entities involved in glaciological research and monitoring by creating a single nodal agency with a clearly defined mandate. The Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation was urged to take the lead in establishing this agency and report back within three months.
