Dhriti Banerjee: 1st woman Director of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)

Indian government approved the appointment of Dr. Dhriti Banerjee as new director of ZSI.

About:

• Dhriti Banerjee is a prolific scientist. She had been conducting research in zoogeography, taxonomy, morphology and molecular systematics.
• She will take charge of Zoological Survey of India in a week.
• She has worked as the co-ordinator of ZSI’s Digital Sequence Information Project, since 2012.
• While sharing her experience and achievement, she mentioned that women scientists in ZSI had been conducting regular surveys by examining faunal diversity from Himalayas to deep sea. About 60% of the new species have been discovered by women scientists.

About Zoological Survey of India

Zoological Survey of India was founded in July 1916. It is headquartered in Kolkata. It comprises of 16 regional centres and works under the ministry of environment, forests and climate change. It was set up as premier Indian organisation in zoological research. It studies and promote survey, explore & research of fauna in India.

Background

History of ZSI starts from the days of Asiatic Society of Bengal which was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784. Asiatic Society of Bengal was the mother institution to Indian Museum (1875), Zoological Survey of India as well as Geological Survey of India. Establishment of ZSI was a fulfilment of dream of Sir William Jones.  Asiatic Society had started to collect zoological and geological specimens since 1796.

When ZSI started hiring women?

ZSI started hiring women scientists in 1949. Mira Mansukhani was the first women employee of ZSI.