- Mar 4, 2024
- Oct 25, 2023
The Indian cricket board bid INR 1.5 crore for Golden boy of India Neeraj Chopra’s javelin and eventually bought it in the e-auction. The 2021 e-auction for the Prime Minister’s collection of mementoes was held and it has now been revealed that the board has bought the javelin. The e-auction is for a noble cause and the entire amount of money received from the e-auction goes to the Namami Gange Programme, an initiative to clean the river, Ganga.
The Programme is ongoing since 2014 and so many mementoes have been put in the auction and the money has been utilized purposefully. An official from the Indian cricket board said to the Free Press Journal that the board was happy with the bid and wanted to contribute to the country’s noble cause. The official went on to express their pride and assured of continuing the good cause for the sake of the nation.
“The Indian cricket board had made the winning bid for Neeraj’s javelin. But we also bid for a couple of other collectibles. It (Namami Gange) is a noble cause and the office bearers in the Indian cricket board felt that as one of the premier sporting bodies in the country, we had a duty towards the nation,” the official was quoted as saying by The Free Press Journal.
The Indian cricket board earlier pledged an INR of 51 crores to the PM Cares Fund during the initial wave of the Coronavirus. The official added further that the board wanted to contribute by being the major sports board in the country.
Alongside Neeraj Chopra’s javelin, a few other mementoes from other athletes went into the e-auction. They all received a reasonable bid and the money will now be contributed to the Namami Gange mission. Lovlina Borgohain’s pair of gloves received a bid of INR 91 Lakhs while Bhavani Devi’s sword received a bid of 1.25 crore. Sumit Antil, the paralympic champion’s javelin received a bid of INR 1 crore. This will be yet another milestone for the Indian cricket board and Neeraj Chopra as well.