AUCTIONS OF MEMENTOS AND GIFTS PRESENTED TO PRIME MINISTER

The Ministry of Culture released data on the proceeds earned by the Government from e‑auctions of mementos and gifts presented to the Prime Minister. The amounts received were Rs 3.1 crore (2021), Rs 3.6 crore (2022), Rs 15.8 crore (2023), Rs 14.4 crore (2023), Rs 11.16 crore (2024), Rs 2.24 crore (2024) and Rs 1.89 crore (2025). Auctions were conducted each year from 17 September to early/mid‑October, with the latest five years spanning 2021‑2025. The release notes that before 2019 no such auctions were organized by the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA). The figures were provided by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a Lok Sabha reply.