State Department Lists High Value Indian Gifts Modi Has Given To US Officials

WASHINGTON, DC – A State Department report has detailed a series of high value gifts presented by Indian leaders to senior US officials, including a sterling silver train set worth 7,750 dollars that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted to then President Joe Biden.

According to the report, issued by the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol, Biden received the silver train set during Modi’s visit. The item was later transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration, known as NARA, in accordance with federal rules governing gifts to public officials.

Published in the Federal Register on January 29, the report notes that non acceptance would cause embarrassment to the donor and the US government.

The report also lists several other gifts received by Biden. One entry states that on September 10, 2023, he was presented with a wood chest, scarf, saffron with jar, and a wood tea box. The items were valued at 562 dollars. The chest, scarf, jar, and box were transferred to NARA, while perishable items such as tea and saffron were excluded from archival transfer.

First Lady Jill Biden also received a gift from Modi. The report says she was presented with a pashmina shawl on October 21, 2024. The shawl was valued at 2,969 dollars and transferred to NARA.

The report includes an India linked gift received by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. On August 23, 2024, Sullivan received a Kashmir pashmina scarf with a box, valued at 599 dollars. The donor was listed as India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The item was transferred to the General Services Administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris is also listed in the report. It says she received a Lord Krishna Raas Leela silver box from Modi on October 18, 2024. The gift was valued at 1,330 dollars and transferred to NARA. A separate entry notes that second gentleman Douglas Emhoff received cufflinks on the same date, valued at 585.65 dollars, which were also transferred to NARA.

The report further lists a gift under the Department of Defense. It states that then Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin received a Shiva Nataraja bronze statue on November 24, 2022. The statue was valued at 3,700 dollars and was gifted by Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Its disposition was listed as pending transfer to the General Services Administration.

The report emphasizes that federal agencies are responsible for the accuracy of the information they submit, including gift appraisals and donor details. It covers tangible gifts as well as gifts of travel or travel related expenses, and includes items above the threshold of minimal value. Some older entries appear because the information was received after initial reporting deadlines.