Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced the imminent reinstallation of the stolen idol of Goddess Kotrakshi in a temple in Jajpur district, Odisha. He said the idol was stolen from the temple at Darpangarh village in Jajpur district  in January 2021 and was recovered by Customs Department sleuths from the airport in New Delhi while attempts were made to export it. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has assured the reinstallation of the idol at the Maa Kotrakshi Temple in Darpangarh, Jajpur.

Expressing gratitude on social media, Minister Dharmendra Pradhan thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy, Customs Department officials, and the Archaeological Survey of India for respecting the sentiments of the villagers and fulfilling their long-standing expectations. The customs officials handed over the astadhatu idol of Goddess Kotrakshi to the Odisha government in the presence of Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.