New Delhi [India], September 19 (ANI): Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, on Sunday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the conferment of UNESCO's World Heritage tag on Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore's abode, Santiniketan, in the Birbhum district of West Bengal.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the Union Minister said, "UNESCO has principally approved this structure as a World Heritage Site. This (the announcement that Santiniketan had been inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites) came as another present to the PM on his birthday. This is the 41st site in India to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I want to thank the PM and UNESCO on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism."Expressing his delight at UNESCO conferring its world heritage tag on Santiniketan, PM Modi on Sunday called it a proud moment for all Indians.

"Delighted that Santiniketan, an embodiment of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's vision and India's rich cultural heritage, has been inscribed on the @UNESCO World Heritage List. This is a proud moment for all Indians," PM Modi said in a post on his official handle on social media platform, X.

Santiniketan was included in UNESCO's World Heritage list during the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the agency confirmed through a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

Founded in 1901 by Tagore, Santiniketan was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries.

A'world university' was established at Santiniketan in 1921, recognising the unity of humanity or 'Visva Bharati'.

Santiniketan represents approaches toward pan-Asian modernity, drawing on ancient, medieval and folk traditions from across the region.

India has for long been striving for a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in the Birbhum district. (ANI)