Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Central government is conducting a special campaign to conserve local and rural museums and 10 special museums are being developed to immortalize the contributions of tribal communities in India’s freedom struggle movement.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the International Museum Expo, 2023 at Pragati Maidan. The Expo is being organized as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 47th International Museum Day (IMD).

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During the programme, the Prime Minister inaugurated a virtual walk-through of the upcoming National Museum at the North and South Blocks.

He said the IMD’s theme of “Museums, Sustainability and Well Being” highlights the priorities of today’s world and makes the event even more relevant. The Prime Minister expressed hope that today’s efforts will make the young generation better acquainted with their heritage.

Mentioning his visit to the Museum before arriving at the venue for today’s event, he praised planning and execution efforts which helped in creating a huge impact on the mind of the visitor. He expressed confidence that today’s occasion will be a huge turning point for the world of museums in India.

Underlining that a lot of the heritage of the land was lost during the period of slavery which lasted hundreds of years when ancient manuscripts and libraries were burnt to the ground, the Prime Minister emphasized that this was not just a loss to India but to the heritage of the entire world.

He lamented the lack of efforts after Independence towards reviving and preserving the long-lost heritage of the land where the lack of awareness among citizens created an even bigger impact.

Recalling the ‘Panch Pran’ or the five resolutions taken by the country during the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, the Prime Minister emphasized ‘Taking pride in our heritage,’ and underlined that a new cultural infrastructure of the country is being developed. In these efforts, the Prime Minister said, one can find the history of India’s fight for independence as well as the thousand-year-old heritage of the country.

Giving examples of conserving the heritage of the land, the Prime Minister mentioned Dandi Path where Mahatma Gandhi marched during the Salt Satyagraha and the memorial built at the spot where he broke the salt law.

He referred to the redevelopment of Mahaparinirvana Sthal of Dr B R Ambedkar into a National Memorial at 5, Alipore Road in Delhi along with the development of Panch Teerth related to his life, in Mhow where he was born, in London where he lived, in Nagpur where he took initiation, and the Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai where his Samadhi exists today.

He also gave examples of the Museum at Sardar Patel’s Statue of Unity, Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab, Govind Guru Ji’s memorial in Gujarat, the Man Mahal Museum in Varanasi and the Museum of Christian Art in Goa.

He also touched upon the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya dedicated to the journey and contributions of all the former Prime Ministers of the country in Delhi and requested all to visit this museum once.

The Prime Minister unveiled the Mascot of the International Museum Expo; the Graphic Novel – A Day at the Museum; the Directory of Indian Museums; the Pocket Map of Kartavya Path; and Museum Cards.

The Mascot of the International Museum Expo is a contemporized version of the Dancing Girl made of wood in the Chennapatnam art style. The Graphic Novel portrays a group of children visiting the National Museum where they learn about the different career opportunities that are available at the museum.