Reddy hands over Goddess Annapurna idol retrieved from Canada to UP govt
New Delhi: Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy on Thursday handed over the idol of Goddess Annapurna, which was retrieved from Canada by the Archaeological Survey of India, to the Uttar Pradesh government at a ceremony here.
The event was held at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) and was attended by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State General V K Singh, among others.
"With the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the idol of Goddess Annapurna, which was stolen more than 100 years ago, is coming back on the land of India," Reddy noted.
He highlighted that more than 40 antiquities have been retrieved from foreign countries to India since 2014, while only 13 such items were retrieved prior to 2014. He also applauded the continuous efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Ministry of External Affairs in bringing such antiquities back to the country.
The minister said as Goddess Annapurna is the goddess of food and nourishment and by her blessings, the Government of India is also ensuring food for all people of India by implementing the Food Security Act which is very beneficial for poor during these Covid times.
He added that the central government will soon hand over two idols to Tamil Nadu, one to Andhra Pradesh and one idol to Rajasthan.
"The times have changed. Earlier, the cultural symbols of India were taken out, but now repair work has started and the treasures which were lost are now being brought back to India," MoS Culture, Meenakshi Lekhi said.
The ASI had received the idol of Goddess Annapurna on October 15, 2021. The stone idol measuring 17 x 9 x 4 cm had been stolen from Kashi in Uttar Pradesh and smuggled to Canada over a century ago.
The prime minister, in his radio programme Mann Ki Baat', had on November 29, 2020 announced the return of the idol from Canada.
