Over 1,000 museums in India instrumental in preserving cultural heritage: Minister G Kishan Reddy
New Delhi, Feb 15: Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday said that over 1000 museums in India are instrumental in not just showcasing and preserving our cultural heritage, but also educating the future generations.
Speaking after inaugurating a two-day global summit in Hyderabad on "Reimagining Museums in India", Reddy said"India is a land of rich cultural heritage and this needs to be preserved, propagated and perpetuated. I believe our museums provide a wonderful medium to achieve these goals. Today our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given all of us the mantra of "Vikas and Virasat". With this vision for Vikas we are ensuring that the poorest of the poor receive the benefits of development and with Virasat we protect our wonderful heritage."
The summit has been organised under the aegis of "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav", the flagship programme to mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence.
"As we celebrate "Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav", we are proud to renew our focus and dedication to preserving, protecting, and perpetuating our cultural heritage. I believe that museums play a pivotal role in reviving our glorious past to life. Today India's 1000 museums are instrumental in not just showcasing and preserving the cultural heritage, but also educating future generations," the minister said.
He highlighted the role of other ministries and departments in promoting and upgrading museums across the country.
He also informed that the Centre is developing 10 museums on tribal freedom fighters to recognise their contribution in our freedom struggle and is continuing to support specialised museums such as Textiles and Crafts museums, Defence Museums and Railway Museums.
Later, addressing the media, Reddy highlighted the efforts being made to bring back the county's stolen heritage from abroad. "95 per cent of the heritage that was stolen or taken away has been returned during the tenure of Prime Minister Modi. Out of the 212 antiques that have been returned since 1976, 199 were returned after 2014. Among these 157 antiques have been returned from the USA recently," he added.
The minister spoke about the various initiatives taken in Telangana including a proposal for a Science City in Hyderabad, the support for 10 museums in the state including the Salar Jung museum and a tribal museum for which allotment of land is being awaited from the Telangana government.