ASI has retrieved 357 antiquities from foreign countries from 1976-2023: Govt

The government is committed to bring back the antiquities of Indian origin which were taken away from India.

The government on Monday informed the Parliament that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has retrieved 357 antiquities from foreign countries from 1976-2023, of which 344 antiquities have been retrieved since 2014. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha.

He was also asked about the details regarding the number of artifacts belonging to Tamil Nadu that have been recovered from abroad during the past ten years. "Among the antiquities recovered from abroad during the past ten years, 31 antiquities retrieved from Australia, Singapore, the UK and the USA belong to Tamil Nadu," he said in his response.

The repatriation of Indian antiquities exported illegally is carried out irrespective of states. Whenever theft of an antiquity is reported, an FIR is lodged in the concerned police station and 'Look Out Notice' is issued to the law enforcement agencies, including the Custom Exit Channels to keep vigil to trace stolen antiquity and prevent its illegal export. In case, antiquity is traced, the case is pursued by concerned law enforcement agency in coordination with theI for recovery, Reddy said.

The government is committed to bring back the antiquities of Indian origin which were taken away from India. Whenever any such antiquity of Indian origin surfaces abroad, theI takes up the matter with the Indian embassies or missions abroad through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) for their retrieval, he added.