PM Modi's gifts to be auctioned: Here are the base prices of some fascinating items

New Delhi, Sep 11: In the second such auction under Narendra Modi's tenure as Prime Minister, 2,772 gifts received by him would be auctioned from September 14 and the funds generated will be used for conservation and rejuvenation of the river Ganga.

Currently on display at the National Gallery of Modern Arts here, a total of 2,772 gifts including head gears, shawls, portraits, swords gifted by different organisations and chief ministers to the PM will be up for the auction on an online portal designed by the National Informatics Centre.

Auction of PM Modi's presents

The lowest base price of the mementoes is Rs 200 and the highest is Rs 2.5 lakh, Culture Minister Prahlad Patel said. Over 1,800 gifts received by the prime minister were sold in a fortnight-long auction that began in January this year. The funds generated went towards the Namami Gange, a central government project to clean the Ganga. At a base price of Rs 2.5 lakh, a portrait of Modi done on silk and gifted by couturier and the owner of Seematti textiles Beena Kannan has been tagged as the most expensive item.The base or reserved price of the items have been fixed by experts.

An exhibition of gifts presented in the last six months to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

In the January auction, over 1,800 gifts received by the prime minister were sold in a fortnight-long exercise and around 4,000 bidders participated. The funds generated went towards the Namami Gange, a central government project to clean the Ganga.

The proceeds from the upcoming auction will also go to the same project. A wooden replica of the BMW built by artisans was the most expensive memento to be sold at the e-auction, officials said, which fetched Rs 5 lakh. They, however, refused to reveal the total amount generated in the January auction.

Prahlad Singh Patel at an exhibition of gifts presented in the last six months to Prime Minister Narendra Modi

During the January auction, the mementos ranged between Rs 100 to Rs 30,000 with the highest base price of Rs 30,000 of a 2.22 kg silver plate gifted to Prime Minister Modi by former BJP MP C.Narasimhan on May 6, 2016. Furthermore, the memento with the lowest base price at the auction is of Rs 100 for an 800 grams idol of Lord Hanuman.

PM's gifts reflect a vast geographic diversity

A similar auction was held even in 2018. The gifts reflecting a vast geographic diversity, included presents from almost all the Indian states as well as those received during overseas tours. The exhibits reflected the diverse cultural fabric of the nation, include ‘pagadis' (turbans), ‘angavastrams', traditional jackets, canvases, prints and photographs on historical and political figures, and an array of sculptural media crafted from metal, stone, and wood. Also on view are ‘Iktara Sitars', flutes, ‘dholaks', bows and arrows, ‘Gadas', mementos, and masks. One can also find prints and paintings of key Indian shrines like Somnath Temple, Ajmer Sharif, and Golden Temple.