The Ministry of Culture will organise an e-Auction between September 17 and October 7, 2021 of gifts and mementos received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Persons/organisations can participate in the e-Auction through the website: https:/pmmementos.gov.in
The proceeds from the e-Auction will go to the Namami Gange Mission aimed at conserving and rejuvenating the Ganga. The memorabilia include sports gear and equipment of the medal-winning Olympians and Paralympians, a replica of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir, Chardham, Rudraksh Convention Centre, models, sculptures, paintings, angavastras, among others.
The auction took place in 2019 too that consisted of two parts – a physical auction organised at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) for two days and an e-auction through the website pmmementos.gov.in. Over 1800 mementoes were successfully auctioned to the highest bidder during this period.
Last time during the auction organised at the NGMA, a specially handcrafted wooden bike received a successful bid of ₹5 lakhs. A similar bid was also received for a unique painting, depicting PM Modi on a railway platform.
Similarly, a wooden replica of the Ashok Stambh, which had a base price of ₹4,000 was sold for ₹13 lakh. Eeven as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, PM Modi used to auction mementos received by him for the education of girl children.