NEW DELHI: A jewellery set valued at Rs 6.70 crore and a wooden showpiece worth Rs 1,000 are among the 11 gifts that former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has deposited with the government’s treasury — toshkhana. A frequent flier on MEA miles, Ms Swaraj deposited the maximum number of official presents in the treasure trove in the April-June financial quarter.
As per protocol, all gifts received by the Prime Minister and other officials from overseas have to be deposited in Toshkhana for evaluation. Apart from depositing the gifts, Ms Swaraj has given away a golden mask she had received on her overseas trip to the Archa-eological Survey of India.
The MEA has its own rate of evaluation, which is done by dedicated personnel. Recipients are allowed to keep gifts worth less than Rs 5,000. If they exceed the limit, recipients can retain the presents only after paying extra. The gifts deposited by Ms Swaraj also included a big painted vase, a glass elephant showpiece, a gold jewellery set and a map on wooden platform with five gold plated camels on its base.
Among the gifts deposited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Toshkhana are a hand-carved samadhi of Lord Buddha worth Rs 3,00,000, a wooden carved platform of Buddha costing Rs 100,000, a gold serving plate worth Rs 15,000, a round porcelain box valued at Rs 11,000, a replica of a heritage site in a wooden box worth Rs 10,000, a blue porcelain bowl worth Rs 7,000 and a Maldivian wooden vase and a stone pot in a wooden box, each worth Rs 5,000. Ms Swaraj’s successor Dr S. Jaishankar has also deposited several gifts in the Toshkhana, including a golden ship with glass base, a bronze statue of Buddha, a wooden work table and a saree worth Rs 10,000. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval had also deposited a flower vase worth Rs 2,500 in the treasure trove.
Other expensive gifts deposited by bureaucrats include a Breitling Avenger Blackbird watch worth Rs 3,37,000 by Sanjay Mitra and a Valentino handbag worth Rs 1,47,000 by Gargi Kaul.
Others include a metal artefact worth Rs 1,500 and a bowl of Rs 1,000 by Vijay Gokhale.
