Modi receives some of Sardar Patel's personal belongings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday received some items like cups and saucers belonging to independent India's first home minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, an official statement said.

Modi, on the 139th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Friday "received some of Sardar's personal belongings from Sheila Ghatate of Manjiri Trust, Delhi", a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

The items, which include plates, cups and saucers used by Patel, had been willed to Ghatate by Bipin Dahyabhai Patel, his grandson, and his wife Lui.

The prime minister said the "items constituted a unique part of India's heritage. He added that appropriate arrangements would be made for their storage and preservation", the statement said.