Over 1000 gifts received by PM Modi to be auctioned; proceeds to be used to conserve river Ganga

New Delhi: Over 1,000 items ranging from shawls to sports items that Prime Minister Narendra Modi received as gifts would be auctioned on Saturday and the proceeds would be used for the cause of conserving the holy river Ganga.
Prime Minister Modi turns 72 on Saturday. Ahead of Modi's birthday, Union Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy along with ministerial colleagues Meenakshi Lekhi and Arjun Ram Meghwal shared details of the items to be auctioned. s. Addressing a press conference Reddy said, Our Hon'ble PM Narendra Modi, has paved a new path in the service of our nation. This year, around 1,222 mementos will be auctioned at the PM Mementos Auction.

"The items include shawls and angavstras to sports items gifted to our Hon'ble PM Modi by our champions voluntarily. The item starts from as low as Rs100 to Rs5 lakh. The total base price of all the items combined is approximately Rs 2.7 crore," he added.
Modi is the first ever Prime Minister of India, who has decided to auction all the gifts he receives for a noble cause of conserving the lifeline of the country- the river Ganges through Namami Gange, minister Reddy said.
"The money raised from the online auction will be used to further the worthy goal of protecting country's lifeblood, the holy river Ganga," he added.
The National Gallery of Modern Art here is getting ready to welcome visitors to a very special exhibition of mementos and gifts presented to the office of Prime Minister Modi.

"It is our honour to showcase this collection of over 1,000 objects received as gifts, which will now be on show for the general public. They include exquisite paintings, sculptures, handicrafts, folk artefacts and sports memorabilia. Several of these are items customarily offered as gifts, such as traditional angavastrams, shawls, headgears, ceremonial swords and so on," said a statement by the gallery.
The auction of these gift items from September 17 to October 2, 2022, will be the fourth of the series of successful auctions, first launched by the PMO in January 2019.
As in the past, the funds raised through the auction will contribute to a worthy cause, the Namami Gange Programme, the flagship project that seeks to conserve and rejuvenate our National River, Ganga which is also worshipped as Goddess Ganga. The proceeds generated by the auction will provide a much-needed impetus to a noble cause.

NGMA is committed to the ideals of inclusivity and we have always striven to bring art closer to the common man. It is a great joy to share with you that the exhibition welcomes all including the differently-abled.
"For the first time ever, we have introduced a tour in Sign language for the deaf and those with hearing difficulties. Besides the Audio Guide tour, there are gallery texts and catalogues in Braille for the visually challenged. We request you to connect with all concerned NGOs and other volunteer programs for the physically challenged, and encourage them to visit the exhibition," the statement added. (ANI)