231 Stolen Antiques Brought Back To India In The Last Nine Years Under PM Modi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said 231 stolen antiques have been brought back to India in the last nine years, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over.

This is in contrast to the situation pre-2014; for almost 70 years since independence, just about 13 invaluable heritage antiques of Indian origin were brought back to India by previous governments, he said.

According to Singh, a total of 231 were brought back after 2014, with the number now rising to 244 antiques.

The process of bringing back more such antiquities is continuing on the fast track, he added.

During his visit to the first-ever three-day International Museum Expo 2023, inaugurated by the Prime Minister at Pragati Maidan, Singh told the media that several unique initiatives had been undertaken in the last nine years under PM Modi.

He cited the example of setting up science museums across the country, including in aspirational districts, like the recently inaugurated one in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

Other places where such museums have already become functional or will soon be are Wayanad in Kerala, Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh, Nuh in Haryana, Dholpur in Rajasthan, Raichur in Karnataka, and Kalyani in West Bengal, Singh added.

"Prime Minister Modi has accorded high priority to conserving our heritage and creating a new legacy," the Minister said during the visit.

The International Museum Expo is being organised as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 47th International Museum Day with the theme of the year ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well Being’.

International Museum Day is celebrated annually on 18 May.