Gifts from abroad: Sushma takes sarees, Foreign Secretary keeps most

According to information available on the website, the Toshakhana evaluated 30 gifts received by Modi. The PM retained a hand-crafted silver box with a semi-precious stone, a model soldier made of wood, a ceramic vase and a ceramic bowl but put them on display at his official residence. He also retained a wooden artifact and an earthen bowl with lid, a replica of Chaitya and two tea sets. For other gifts he got, the website says, “recipient is yet to collect” the same from the Toshakhana. All his other gift items, have either been retained in the Toshakhana or the deposit/retention is under process .

The gifts taken away by Sushma Swaraj include a brass statue of Nag Devi, an embroidered silk cloth, a dinning table set with six napkins, a crafted makeup box, a blue neck chain of stones, a pearl necklace in crafted wooden box and a set of two cups and two saucers. The most expensive items she retained were two sarees, each valued at Rs 4,800. Other sarees were valued between Rs 2,500 and Rs 4,500.

In Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh’s case, she retained most of the gift items valued at less than Rs 5,000. Information on the MEA’s website shows she kept at least 20 gifts, including four sarees, she got till December 2014 — continuing with a trend. Last year, The Indian Express had reported that of the gifts she got till March 31, 2014, Singh retained a carpet valued at Rs 4,500, another carpet valued at Rs 3,000, a silver bowl valued at Rs 4,000, a blue vase valued at Rs 2,500, a wooden vase worth Rs 1,000, and two more vases together valued at Rs 4,500. The items also included a hand-made pashmina shawl valued at just Rs 2,500 and a Rs 3,500 pearl necklace.

According to the website, since formation of the new government, the Toshakhana has evaluated 190 gifts received by various dignitaries and more than 40 of them have been evaluated as of “no commercial value”.