New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Six antiquities have been reportedly stolen till date from the ASI-controlled structures in Odisha, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a question on the number of antiquities that have been untraceable or stolen or missing from structures in Odisha that are under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).It was also asked as to what steps have been taken by the Ministry of Culture to recover those antiquities, and whether there is non-adherence to the verification of the antiquities every year in Odisha by the ASI."Six number of antiquities have been reported stolen till date from the ASI-controlled structures in Odisha."To recover the stolen antiquities from the ASI-controlled structures in Odisha, a first information report (FIR) has been lodged. Other enforcement agencies have also been requested to keep a strict vigil in respect of these reported antiquities," Reddy said.Physical verification of antiquities lying under the jurisdiction of the ASI, Bhubaneswar Circle, at different sites, monuments and Archaeological Museums is carried out regularly, he said, adding that the last verification was done in July 2021.In another question, the Centre was asked about the details of monuments and heritage sites protected or revived by the government during the last three years.The Union Culture minister shared the data for the year 2018-19 to 2021-22, according to which, gazette notification has been issued for protection of 14 monuments in this period.These 14 monuments include Baori and adjacent archaeological remains in Neemrana, Alwar in Rajasthan; Janardana Temple in Kerala; Group of Monuments in Bolangir, Odisha; and Rangdum Monastery in Ladakh.During 2011-14, gazette notification has been issued for protection of 10 monuments, which include a fortress known as Medhaji-ka-Mahal in Rajasthan; Menhirs and Caves at Vangchhia in Mizoram; and Brindaban Chandra Temple in West Bengal, the minister said.Meanwhile, the Tourism Ministry issued a statement mentioning written replies made by Reddy in Rajya Sabha to some of the queries.The Northeast region (NER) is the focus area of the RCS-UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme - Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) launched to facilitate and stimulate regional air connectivity.Under the scheme, 18 routes in the NER are operational. The Ministry of Railways has also upgraded its infrastructure in the Northeast by way of gauge conversion, introduction of Vista Dome coaches and upgrading of stations, he said.For giving a fillip to tourism in the NER, the ministry approved the project "Development of View Points in the North East Region" at 22 scenic locations, he said. The ministry has identified and forwarded a list of 25 tourist sites which could be taken as pilot project for formation of a separate police unit in the states and Union Territories, the statement quoted the minister as saying.The ministry has also set up a 24x7 multi-lingual tourist info helpline in 12 languages. A code of conduct for safe and honourable tourism have been adopted to encourage tourism activities, he said.During the last two years (2020-21 and 2021-22), eight museums have been funded under Museum Grant Scheme for development and modernisation of existing museums, he said.The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) has become a part of the INFLIBNET Centre of the University Grants Commission, he said in another written response. PTI KND TDS TDS