The Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, provided a written reply in the Rajya Sabha detailing the government's activities and budgetary allocations for underwater cultural heritage exploration. The Underwater Archaeology Wing of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is currently conducting research and exploration at Dwarka and Bet Dwarka in Gujarat, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, and Karaikal in Puducherry.
The government has also granted licenses for underwater excavation to two other entities: the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology for work at Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu) and the Marine Archaeology Centre of the National Institute of Oceanography for work at Bet Dwarka, Chhari, and Gangata Bet in Gujarat.
Detailed budgetary allocations were disclosed. For the ASI's Underwater Archaeology Wing, an allocation of ₹75,40,000 was made for 2025-26, with an expenditure of ₹74,91,064. For 2026-27, the allocation is ₹66,50,000, with ₹25,63,894 expended to date. Beyond the ASI, the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has earmarked ₹7 crores for both land and underwater archaeological excavations, while the National Institute of Oceanography has a budgetary allocation of ₹20 lakhs.
A focused program for training archaeologists and conducting surveys of submerged sites has been initiated. Furthermore, a specific list of five sites has been identified for underwater exploration and excavation up to the year 2030: Dwarka and Bet Dwarka (Gujarat), Vijay Durg (Maharashtra), Janjira (Maharashtra), Karaikal (Puducherry), and Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu).