Prahlad Patel inaugurates auction of gifts presented to Modi

New Delhi [India] Sept 14 (ANI): The exhibition cum E-auction of prestigious and memorable gifts presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Saturday inaugurated by Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel at National Gallery of Modern Art.

The fund generated through this second round of auction of more than 2700 gifts and mementos will be used for conservation and rejuvenation of the river Ganga. The auction will continue online till October 3 on the portal www.pmmementos.gov.in.

"Narendra Modi is the first-ever Prime Minister of India, who has decided to auction all the gifts he receives for a noble cause of conserving the lifeline of the country- the river Ganges through Namami Gange," said Patel after inaugurating the exhibition.

The Culture Minister said that the value of these mementos cannot be measured in monetary terms but the emotional and sentimental values attached to the gifts are high and immeasurable.

"A letter will be sent from the government to top twenty highest bidders complimenting them for their contribution towards Namami Gange Project," he said.

Around 500 mementos are presently on display entitled "Smriti Chinh" for the general public at National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) which will be changed every week.

The gift items include paintings, memento, sculptures, shawls, pagri, jackets and traditional musical instruments among others portray the diversified and colourful Indian culture.

The lowest base price of the mementos is Rs 200 and the highest is Rs 2.5 Lakhs.

Over 1800 gifts received by the prime minister were sold in the first round of auction held in January this year. The remaining items were sold through e-auction.

The proceeds raised through it went towards the Namami Gange, a central government project to clean the Ganga.

One of the major highlights of the first round of the Physical auction was that a specially handcrafted wooden bike received a successful bid of Rs 5 lakhs.