Gifts received by Modi auctioned; Neeraj Chopra's javelin receives Rs 1.5 Cr bid

The third round of e-auction of prestigious gifts and mementos presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held from September 17 to October 7.

The proceeds of the e-auction will go to the Namami Gange Mission for conservation and rejuvenation of The Ganges. The auction was held through www.pmmementos.gov.in.

Around 1348 mementos were put up for e-auction in the third round, which evoked huge interest among the public. People enthusiastically placed bids to get an opportunity to own a valuable piece of history.

The prized items that went under the hammer included sports memorabilia of the medal-winning Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; models of Ayodhya Ram Mandir; Varanasi's Rudraksh auditorium and many other precious and interesting collectibles. More than 8600 bids were received for these items.

Items like decorative mace, a replica of the Statue of Unity, a Charkha, and a bell received the highest bids in terms of bid value as compared to the base price. A maximum number of bids were received by the sculpture of Sardar Patel (140 bids), wooden Ganesha (117 bids), a memento of the Pune metro line (104 bids), and a memento of Victory flame (98 bids).

The favorite picks in terms of the highest bid value were Neeraj Chopra's javelin (Rs 1.5 Cr.), autographed fence of Bhavani Devi (Rs 1.25 Cr.), Sumit Antil's javelin (Rs 1.002 Cr.), Angavastra autographed by the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic contingent (Rs 1 Cr.) and Lovlina Borgohain's Boxing gloves (Rs 91 L).

The fact that the e-auction proceeds would be utilized for the Namami Gange project served to motivate the participants to bid and contribute to the noble cause close to the heart of every Indian. The e-auction amount is expected to be much higher than the last two rounds. The innovative exercise also gave a sense of participation in nation-building to the citizens.