On Thursday, September 17, the 76th birthday of Narendra Modi, the eighth edition of “PM Mementoes” opened. Without regard for tradition, the Prime Minister sells his gifts to the highest bidder. The auction opened after a ceremony by Federal Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi, and will end on October 31.
As every year, the proceeds from the auctions will go to the public Namami Gange program for the cleaning and protection of the national river, launched in 2014 by Narendra Modi when he took over as head of the Indian government. The auction, opened online on the official “PM Mementoes” portal, offers a selection of nearly 1,500 official gifts, handicrafts and traditional works, coming from various regions of India and testifying to the cultural diversity of the country.
Among the selection, fifty works are major pieces. A silver replica of the god Râma, one of the most revered in Hinduism, is estimated at 13.5 lakh rupees, or around 12,000 euros. Miniature models of Indian Navy warships, and paintings of traditional Gond art also promise to fetch high bids.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Culture and Tourism of India, in front of a work auctioned as part of the PM Mementos sale.
© Indian Ministry of Culture, 2026
Created in January 2019, “PM Mementoes” initially took place in the form of physical auctions. The remaining items were then offered online. Since 2021, the auctions have been entirely virtual. Between 2021 and 2025, “PM Mementoes” sales generated approximately 52.2 crore rupees (€5 million), with a record reached during the first sale of 2023 at 15.8 crore rupees (€1.4 million). That year, the featured piece was a painting by contemporary artist Paresh Maity, A tribute to the Timeless Charm of the city.
In France, these gifts are more intended to be preserved. In Sarran (Corrèze), the President Jacques Chirac museum houses some 5,000 gifts received by the head of state between 1995 and 2007, which he gave to the Department of Corrèze. In Château-Chinon (Nièvre), François Mitterrand had similarly transferred from 1986 a part of the gifts received at the Élysée: the Museum of Presidential Gifts today preserves around 4,800 and presents nearly 350. Renovated and reopened in May 2026, it forms with the Fashion Museum – the former Costume Museum – the City of Presents – François Mitterrand, which thus brings together two “Museums of France”.
