A total of 229 antiquities retrieved from foreign nations since 2014: Govt

A total of 229 antiquities have been retrieved from foreign countries since 2014, the government said on Thursday and asserted that the Centre is committed to bring back antiquities of Indian-origin which were taken away from the country.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy was also asked in a written query as to whether the government is making any plan for "bringing back the Kohinoor diamond from England".

Among the set of queries, the minister was asked whether it is a fact that under the repatriation scheme, the government is fixing any accountability, on moral grounds, on the foreign forces which oppressed India for a long period, to which Reddy in a written response, said, "No sir, there is no such scheme".

Asked whether the government is contemplating bringing back valuable articles of ancient Indian heritage taken abroad, the minister responded with data.

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

"Whenever any such antiquity of Indian origin surfaces abroad, Archaeological Survey of India takes up the matter with the Indian Embassies, Missions abroad through MEA for their retrieval. Total numbers of 229 antiquities have been retrieved from foreign countries since 2014," Reddy informed the Rajya Sabha.

There was no specific response to the query on the famed Kohinoor diamond.