Varsha Ashok Aglawe Becomes First Woman Director General of Geological Survey of India (GSI)

Exam-focused facts from the 3 August 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Varsha Ashok Aglawe took charge as the 54th Director General of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), becoming the first woman to lead the 176-year-old organisation.
She succeeded Asit Saha, who served as Director General from July 2024 to July 2026.
Prior to this appointment, she was serving as Additional Director General and Head of Department, Eastern Region, Kolkata.
She joined the Geological Survey of India in 1992, after beginning her career with the Indian Bureau of Mines.
She is recognised for her expertise in palaeontology and palynology, and identified the Salbardi-Ghorpend region in Central India as a new dinosaur nesting site.
She established a modern Palynology Laboratory at GSI's Northern Region office in Lucknow.
She represented India at the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) 2023 in Toronto.