Aadhaar authentication mandatory in E-auction of PM mementos

NEW DELHI: You will have to get verified through Aadhaar registration if you want to buy the memorable mementos and gifts presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The e-auction is set to begin from Saturday.

A senior official of the Ministry of Culture said that Aadhaar authentication will be done to bring transparency in the auction of gifts and mementos. Aadhaar authentication was not necessary during last year's auction.

To participate in this online auction, interested buyers have to register themselves on this portal and the registration is open to Resident Indians only.

"To identify the authenticity of the buyer, Aadhaar authentication is being done during the registration process for both new buyers and those who have already registered in the portal. This Aadhaar authentication process is a one time process and only authenticated buyers can participate in the auction," said an official of the ministry.

The buyer can participate in the auction by selecting the product listed for live auction. The highest bidder will be approved by the department for making payment.

The Ministry of Culture is organising the fourth edition of the e-auction of the gifts presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which is scheduled from September 17 to October 2.

Addressing the media on Friday, Union Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy said, "In 2019 these items were auctioned for people by open bidding. That time 1805 gifts were put on auction in the first round, and in the second round 2772 gift items were put on auction. In 2021, also e-auction was organised in September and we had 1348 items on auction. This year approximately 1200 mementos and gift items have been put on e-auction. The display of the mementos has been done at the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi. These items can also be viewed on the website."

Giving more details, the Union Minister said, "Mementos in the auction include exquisite paintings, sculptures, handicrafts and folk artefacts. Several of these are items customarily offered as gifts, such as traditional angavastrams, shawls, headgear, ceremonial swords. Other memorabilia of interest include replicas and models of the Shri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya and the Kashi-Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. We also have an exciting section of sports memorabilia".

He said that Team India's stellar performance at the Commonwealth Games 2022, the Deaflympics 2022 and Thomas Cup Championship 2022 earned us a place in history and a rich haul of medals. On auction are the memorabilia presented by the teams and winners of the sporting events. There are 25 new sports memorabilia in this edition of the auction, the minister disclosed.