india

Updated: Sep 14, 2019 12:18 IST

Headgear, shawls, portraits, silverware and swords are among the 2772 gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that will going under the hammer in an e-auction from today. The base price of the mementoes is Rs 200 and the highest is Rs 2.5 lakh.

The proceeds from the auction will go into the funding for Namami Gange project, a central government project for cleansing, conserving and rejuvenating river Ganga.

‘The gifts received by the PM in the last six months will be auctioned. This time the auction will be completely online. I thank the PM for giving us this opportunity. The minimum reserved price for the items is Rs 200 while the highest is Rs 2.5 lakh,’ Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said.

The gifts are currently on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in central Delhi’s Jaipur House. Those interested can log on to the website pmmementos.gov.in to register and participate in the auction

One of the attractions of the auction is a portrait of Modi, at a base price of Rs 2.5 lakh, done on silk and gifted by the owner of Seematti textiles Beena Kannan. The mementos include 576 shawls, 964 angavastram (clothes), 88 pagris (head-dress)and various jackets portraying the diversity of India. Each item has been evaluated by experts to fix the base price.

Statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which PM Narendra Modi received from BJP Anand District, Gujarat. ( Photo courtesy: pmmementos.gov.in )

In January, over 1,800 gifts received by the prime minister were sold in a fortnight-long auction in which 4000 bidders had participated. The funds generated also went towards the Namami Gange project.

A handcrafted wooden bike was sold for Rs 5 lakh. NGMA director general Adwaita Gadanayak said the first such auction was successful. “In the first phase, there was a great rush during the auction. People felt that if by taking a piece of Modi’s journey into their lives, they are contributing to a great cause, it was worth the spending,” said Gadanayak.