155 artefacts of Rashtrapati Bhawan to be returned by June, 2013
21 Dec, 2012As per information provided by the President’s Secretariat to an applicant who filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, it has been revealed that the family-run trust belonging to the former President Pratibha Patil (Vidya Bharti Shaikshanik Mandal) has given an undertaking that all the 155 artefacts would be returned to the Rashtrapati Bhawan Museum by June 15, 2013. As per the reply, the Collector of Amrawati has confirmed the return of items through a communication, dated November 5.
The memorandum of understanding was signed between the President's Secretariat and the trust just days before Pratibha Patil demitted office. While the artefacts are on display at Amravati, they are on loan from the Rashtrapati Bhawan Museum. These items include:
- a stone box gifted by the US President,
- a candle set from the UK prime minister,
- an Algerian wine pot gifted by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, president of Algeria
- a wooden photograph from the president of Syria,
- a painting of a lying Buddha by Tajakistan government,
- a wooden framed memento of the ICC Cricket World Cup won by India,
- a memento from the parliament of Republic of South Africa,
- a painting of Pratibha Patil presented by Uthein Sein, president of Myanmar, and
- a cloth painting presented by Navin Chandra Ramgoolarn, prime minister of Mauritius.