On popular demand, e-auction of PM's mementos extended till Oct 17

The Union culture ministry has extended the time period of auctioning of Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's mementos till October 17, officials said on Wednesday, stating that a huge demand led to the decision.

Initially, the e-auction, in which over 2,500 gifts received by the prime minister will go under the hammer, was supposed to be held till October 3.

Celebrities, politicians and activists have shown interest in the auction, with many like Bollywood stars Arjun Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and singer Kailash Kher endorsing it.

The ministry had launched the e-auction on September 14 to sell 2,700 mementos received by the prime minister, the proceeds of which will go to the Namami Gange Mission.

The mementos include paintings, sculptures, shawls, jackets and traditional musical instruments. The lowest base price is Rs 200 and it goes all the way up to Rs 2.5 lakh.

A copy of the Indian Constitution with a base price of Rs 2,000 received bids of Rs 33,000. Other items include a portrait of Modi on a silk saree with a base price of Rs 2.5 lakh, a mace with a base price of Rs 2,000 and a photograph of the prime minister with his mother, which received a bid of Rs 10 lakh. The collection also includes a jersey of the Indian cricket team.

However, a coconut "kalash", which was put up for auction with a base price of Rs 18,000, and had fetched over Rs 1 crore, was put back for fresh bids to avoid unnecessary controversy, as the ministry wanted to ensure that there were no fake bids.

Among the mementos that sold for fairly higher amounts are a metallic sculpture of a cow feeding a calf. It received a winning bid of Rs 51 lakh against the base price of Rs 1,500.

Over 60,000 bids have been received till now and only 240 articles out of 2,700 could not attract any taker.