WASHINGTON– A State Department report has disclosed a series of high-value gifts presented by Indian leaders to senior U.S. officials, including a sterling silver train set valued at $7,750 given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to then-President Joe Biden and later transferred to the National Archives.
The report, issued by the State Department’s Office of the Chief of Protocol, covers gifts reported to federal agencies for calendar year 2024. It states that the “minimal value” threshold for reportable gifts during the year was $480.
For the White House, the disclosure lists multiple items presented by Prime Minister Modi to President Biden. One entry notes that on Sept. 10, 2023, Biden received a wood chest, scarf, saffron with jar, and a wooden tea box, with a combined estimated value of $562. The disposition record shows that the chest, scarf, jar, and box were transferred to the National Archives, while perishable items such as tea and saffron were excluded.
Another entry shows that on July 16, 2024, Biden received a sterling silver metal train set valued at $7,750, which was also transferred to the National Archives.
The report also details a gift from Prime Minister Modi to First Lady Jill Biden. According to the filing, she received a pashmina shawl on Oct. 21, 2024, with an estimated value of $2,969. The item was transferred to the National Archives.
An India-linked gift was also disclosed for the president’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The report states that Sullivan received a Kashmir pashmina scarf with a box on Aug. 23, 2024, valued at $599. The donor was listed as Ajit Doval, India’s national security adviser, and the item was transferred to the General Services Administration.
Vice President Kamala Harris was listed as having received a Lord Krishna Raas Leela silver box from Prime Minister Modi on Oct. 18, 2024. The gift was valued at $1,330 and transferred to the National Archives.
A separate entry notes that Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff received cufflinks from Prime Minister Modi on the same date. The cufflinks were valued at $585.65 and transferred to the National Archives.
The report also includes an India-linked entry under the Department of Defense. It states that then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin received a Shiva Nataraja bronze statue on Nov. 24, 2022, valued at $3,700. The donor was listed as India’s defense minister, Rajnath Singh, and the disposition was recorded as pending transfer to the General Services Administration.
The report emphasizes that federal agencies are responsible for the accuracy of the information they submit, noting that “all information reported to the Office of the Chief of Protocol, including gift appraisal and donor information, is the responsibility of the employing agency.”
It further states that the disclosure covers tangible gifts and gifts of travel or travel expenses above the minimal value threshold, and that some older gifts are included because information was submitted late. The report, published in the Federal Register on Thursday, lists a standard justification for acceptance of gifts in White House entries, citing that non-acceptance “would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government.” (Source: IANS)
