Friends who like Mapping or Geography or Geology or Applied Geology or Geoinformatics or Geographica
Padma Bhusan Professor S.P.Chatterjee, the founder Director of the National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation who first initiated to plan of compiling a National Atlas of India in Hindi - the Raj Bhasa. He discussed the plan with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of the India in 1953 who instantly approved the project. In April 1954, the Ministry of Natural Resources & Scientif
ic Research has sanctioned a skeleton staff of seven posts to shape the preparation of National Atlas. This small group of staff officially known as National Atlas Unit. This small unit had drafted maps on various topics for the proposed atlas and the drafted atlas placed before the expert committee of the planning commission in the Ministry and finally impressed and convinced about the essentiality of the project and finally on 18th. August 1956, this small unit emerged by an order issued from the Ministry of Natural Resources & Scientific Research as a full-fledged organization, known as National Atlas Organization under the Honorary Directorship of Padma Bhusan Professor S.P. Chatterjeee in the Department of Geography of the University of Calcutta at the Senate house. Since then this organization grew in strength in the successive plan periods and took up various projects of great national importance. The Government of India appointed a review committee in December 1975 under the Chairmanship of Professor George Kurian and as per recommendation of the committee the Department of Science & Technology through an order dated 9th August 1978, modified the name of the Organization as " National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organization". This organization is a subordinate office under the Department of Science & Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. It has a large number of officers and staff members of different categories, viz. scientific, technical and administrative officials of which a large number of highly qualified professional geographers, perhaps the largest number under one roof any where in the world. It also employs qualified statisticians, geologist, cartographers and printing professionals.
