‘Mementos received by PM up for auction from Sep 17’

New Delhi: Mementos ranging from sports shoes and other items of Paralympics medalists to a replica of the Ram temple and even a silver veena -- all gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- are set to be auctioned soon, and the base price of all the items together comes to around Rs 1.5 crore, Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Monday.

Shekhawat conducted a walk-through of the exhibition showcasing the PM’s mementos at the National Gallery of Modern Art here. Addressing a press conference later, he mentioned that the base prices for the auction of these gifts are set by a government committee, with prices ranging from as low as Rs 600 to as high as Rs 8.26 lakh.

“Our PM has started a new culture of auctioning all mementos and gifts he gets. He used to do this as a Chief Minister as well,” Shekhawat said. “The gifts he receives are given back to the people through an auction, and the money earned through that is used for a noble cause -- cleaning river Ganga,” he added.

He pointed out that this is the sixth time such an auction is being held, and the funds raised through it will be donated to the National Ganga Fund. This time, about 600 items gifted to Prime Minister Modi over the last one year will go up for auction.

The highest priced mementos are encased sports shoes of Paralympics bronze medallists Ajeet Singh and Simran Sharma and silver medalist Nishad Kumar, as well as a signed cap of silver medalist Sharad Kumar -- all priced around Rs. 2.86 lakh.

The lowest priced mementos includes cotton angavastrams, caps and shawls, priced at Rs 600 each.