New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) A total of 344 antiquities have been returned to India from other countries since 2014, the government informed the Parliament on Monday.

Union Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha.

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Only one antiquity had been returned to India during 2004-13, according to the data shared by him in his response.

A total of 115 antiquities were returned to India in 2023, and 344 antiquities have been returned since 2014, he said.

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On a query regarding smuggled antiquities, he replied that 314 antiquities have been repatriated during the last five years, and he also shared the country-wise data.

From the US, 262 such items were repatriated in the last five years, 15 from the UK, 35 antiquities were returned from Australia and one from Italy in the same period.

The issue of repatriation was attempted to be addressed in the Culture Working Group event during the G20 Summit. The subjects was "Re(ad)dress: Return of Treasures", he added.

Reddy, in response to another query, said the Ministry of Culture celebrated the life and sacrifices of socialist leader Karpoori Thakur on the occasion of his 100th birth anniversary on January 24, 2024.

"His contribution to the freedom struggle and his honest public life as a politician were portrayed through an exhibition and a commemorative stamp and coin were released. On the eve of his birth centenary, the Government of India announced that Shri Karpoori Thakur Ji will be conferred with the highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna, posthumously," Reddy said.

On a query on Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, he said, a Digital District Repository has been compiled to discover and document the stories of people, events, and places linked to the freedom struggle at the micro level of the district.

"As on date, about 14,500 stories have been compiled and uploaded on the portal. These stories are broadly classified under the heading - People & Personalities, Events & Happenings, Hidden Treasures -- Built & Natural Heritage, and Living Traditions & Art Forms," he said. --

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