Neeraj Chopra's javelin fetches Rs 1.5 crore in e-auction as gift to PM Modi

Olympic gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra's javelin received a bid of Rs 1.5 crore during the e-auction of prestigious gifts and mementos presented to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The third round of the e-auction was held from September 17 to October 7 through the web portal www.pmmementos.gov.in.

The money from the e-auction will go to the Namami Gange Mission, according to the press statement from the Ministry of Culture.

On the opening day of the auction on September 17, Chopra's javelin received a bid of Rs 10 crore but was later cancelled on the suspicion that it could be a fake bid.

As many as 1,348 mementoes were put up for e-auction in this third round, which has evoked huge interest among the public, who enthusiastically placed bids to get an opportunity to own a valuable piece of history.

The highlight items of this round of e-auction included the sports memorabilia of the medal-winning Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games; models of Ayodhya Ram Mandir; Varanasi`s Rudraksha auditorium and many other precious and interesting collectables.

More than 8,600 bids were received for the 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. The 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 other favourite picks in terms of the highest bid value were the autographed fence of Bhavani Devi (Rs 1.25 crore.), Sumit Antil`s javelin (Rs 1.002 crore.), Angavastra was autographed by the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic contingent (Rs 1 crore.) and Lovlina Borgohain`s Boxing gloves (Rs 91 lakh).