E-auction of mementoes and gifts of PM is effort to connect citizens with Namami Gange project: G Kishan Reddy

A decorative mace, Elephant (gold embellished miniature sculpture), and brass statue of Goddess Laxmi with garland are gaining maximum traction among 1,348 memorabilia up for sale.
Union culture minister G Kishan Reddy. (Photo | EPS)
Union culture minister G Kishan Reddy. (Photo | EPS)

Urging people to bid for mementoes and gifts, presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in large numbers, union culture minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday said that people should participate in the auction to partner up with the government for conservation of Ganga river, culture and also for development of the country.

“E-auction of memorable mementoes and gifts of the PM is an effort to connect citizens of the country with Namami Gange project…I appeal to the people who want to join as the partner for the project; to participate in the cultural and development programme, they should make bids for the mementoes. They will also get the satisfaction of being a partner in the Namami Gange programme. Your money will go for a noble cause, initiated by the PM. It is in the interest of the nation,” said the minister after reviewing the souvenirs, currently on display at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).

Nearly 1,348 mementoes and gifts including the sports gear used by the winners of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have put up at an online auction initiated by the culture ministry. The auction is open till October 7.

The government has received bids for 1,081 articles so far.

A ‘decorative mace’, ‘peacock’ (wooden frame), idols of Sita, Ram, Laxman with Hanuman placed on a silver pedestal, ‘Elephant’ (gold embellished miniature sculpture), and brass statue of Goddess Laxmi with garland are gaining maximum traction among 1,348 memorabilia up for sale.

According to information available on the portal-- https://pmmementos.gov.in-- on the top of the ‘most participated’ category was ‘decorative mace’ (a metallic article) for which 52 bids were quoted till 10 am on Saturday. The base price for the mace is Rs 2,500 however the highest quoted price for it was Rs 1.01 lakh.

An intricately carved wooden frame with engraved peacock made in pure gold has received 44 bids and the highest price offered for it was Rs 51,200 and the base price is Rs 2,000. The idols of Sita, Ram, Laxman with Hanuman placed on a silver pedestal was the third most participated souvenir with 42 quotes followed by ‘Elephant’ (gold embellished miniature sculpture) and brass statue of Goddess Laxmi for which the numbers of bids were 37 and 36 submissions respectively.

The maximum bid for idols of Sita, Ram, Laxman with Hanuman was Rs 25,600 and for ‘Elephant’ it was Rs 51,000. The highest offering for the statue of Goddess Laxmi was Rs 53, 000 till Saturday morning while the starting price for all three mementos is Rs 3,000.

The javelin autographed by Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra, one of the highest valued items, has received seven bids with the highest quote being Rs two crore. The base price of the javelin, Chopra used in final rounds, was kept at Rs one crore.  

Only one bid of Rs 99 lakh was quoted for a framed ‘Angavastra’, white plain stole with signatures and wishes from the players who won at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The base price of the stole is Rs 90 lakh.

The government is making efforts to encourage more people to participate in the auctioning for the noble cause. Several MPs including ministers are tweeting for the same.

Responding to queries related to the number of bids and prices of the souvenirs, the minister said that amount (of money) doesn’t matter for a noble deed. “It depends on the choice of people. We should see this initiative (auction) in the light of the Namami Gange project. We haven’t fixed any targets. I appeal to people to participate in the process generously,” Reddy said.

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