The Indian government had brought back 75 per cent of the country’s stolen heritage in the course of the tenure of Narendra Modi, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism G. Kishan Reddy informed the Rajya Sabha.
In a written reply, Reddy stated 54 antiquities had been retrieved from overseas considering that 1976.
Providing additional particulars later, Reddy, who was not too long ago elevated to the ministry, stated India had retrieved quite a few stolen heritage objects. He added that the quantity of such antiquities that had been recovered reached the highest ever in the last seven years.
India has repatriated 41 heritage objects — more than 75 per cent of the objects returned in total — in the previous seven years.
Reddy also hailed the part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his relentless efforts in retrieving these antiquities. He stated he believed the current good results in repatriation of stolen antiquities from abroad was due to the constantly enhancing cultural relations, made probable by the private relations that Modi shared with heads of states, creating the expeditious return probable.
Last year, some of the most popular museums in The Netherlands supported a report that proposed the repatriation of thousands of artefacts to their nations of origin from exactly where they have been taken in the course of colonial instances.
That report sparked renewed debate for the return of stolen artefacts, taken forcibly in the course of colonisation or illegally post-independence, to their home nations. India has been pressing for the return of quite a few artefacts from about the world, particularly the UK. The popular Kohinoor Diamond, on show at the Tower of London, tops the list of things. India, alongside Pakistan, also desires Tipu’s Wooden Tiger displayed at a museum in London to be returned.
Reddy also lauded the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India and the Central Bureau of Investigation for the good results of these endeavours.
He stated an integral component of the country’s foreign policy was the protection and preservation of Indian cultural heritage and artefacts. Thus, returning these historical objects is component of a method to restore the country’s pride and acknowledge its historical previous.
The Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture is actively working with the Ministry of External Affairs to expedite the method for the return of more such artefacts, Reddy added.