The Saraswati Heritage Project was started by the culture and tourism minister Jagmohan in 2003-2004 to conduct archaeological excavations in the region. Then the usual words – saffronization of history, attempts to push the antiquity of Indian civilization were thrown and Congress led UPA Government canned it.
Turns out that there are some smart folks at the ASI for they have quietly continued the project just by renaming it.
But the ASI funded the project from its own resources. “We wanted to bring the search to a logical conclusion,” RS Bisht, former joint director, ASI, who coordinated the project during the NDA regime, told DNA. [Sarasvati project is on, under a new name]
See Also: A detailed map showing Indus Valley sites and Ghaggar-Hakra river
Reminds of this story 🙂