NEW DELHI: The e-auction of mementoes presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed one month. The bidding trend suggests that lower price range articles have attracted highest number of bids.
A black-painted memento of Lord Hanuman, with a base price of Rs 3,000, received the highest number of bids till Sunday morning. According to the auction portal, 47 people are vying for this souvenir. The highest bid for the item stood at Rs 20,500.
A gold-foil metallic art print of Ram Darbar attracted the second-highest number of bidders. Priced at a base rate of Rs 1,500, it received a maximum bid of Rs 9,000. It has drawn 39 quoted prices. With 34 offers, a gold-foil art print of Lord Murugan, also carrying a base price of Rs 1,500, ranked third in terms of the number of bids.
The highest bid for this item reached Rs 20,000. For a sword with inscribed metal scabbard, 33 people have shown interest. Highest quoted price for this memento featuring a curved single edged blade is Rs 1 lakh while the base price was Rs 6,000.
The base price of the Lord Venkateswara (Balaji) idol with an ornate Prabhavali archway was set at Rs 27,000, while the highest bid for the item reached Rs 45,000, with 26 buyers competing for the article.
The 8th edition of the e-Auction started on Modi’s birthday on September 17, offers nearly 1,500 mementos. The proceeds from the sale will go to the Namami Gange Programme for the rejuvenation of river Ganga. With the initiative, the government has so far raised around Rs 52 crore since 2019.
However, some of the high-value articles are yet to get the first bid. One of them is a framed tree of life Gond art painting having a base price of Rs 7.50 lakh.
