Gifts for a government or PSU client: keep it modest, check their gift policy first, and give a token, not a presentGifts for a government or PSU client: keep it modest, check their gift policy first, and give a token, not a present

Start with their policy, not your budget

Before you gift anyone in a government office, a ministry, a PSU or a public sector bank, check the client's gift policy. Public bodies have their own rules on what their people may accept, and the rules differ from one organisation to the next. Ask your contact's office, or the procurement or vigilance team you deal with, what is acceptable. If the answer is unclear, give less, or send only a greeting card. A gift that embarrasses the person receiving it does your relationship harm, not good.

Where a gift is acceptable, the safe shape is a modest festive token: low in value, clearly a greeting, nothing that can be resold or spent.

Kinds of token Indian companies send public sector contacts:

• A greeting card or a desk calendar from a printer: the most common and the safest.
• A small box of sweets from a local sweet shop at Diwali: traditional, though some offices prefer not to receive food.
• A branded diary or pen from a merchandise supplier: low value, practical, clearly corporate.
• A small plant from a nursery: neutral and modest.
• A small handmade candle from Raajkosh, Jalandhar, for a festival the person celebrates: the Lotus Candle at Rs 349, layered petals in green and red or coral pink; Diya Candles at Rs 449 for six terracotta-red diyas; or a single Spiral Pillar Candle at Rs 179 for a non-festival thank-you.

Signs a gift is too much for a public sector client

Whatever the client's policy allows, these usually make a public servant uncomfortable:

• Anything that works like money: vouchers, gift cards, coins.
• Anything that looks expensive, even if it was not: heavy hampers, silver, branded luxury.
• Gifts sent to a home address rather than the office.
• Gifts timed around a tender, an audit or a decision. Send at a festival everyone gifts at, or not at all.
• Gifts that differ by seniority in a way that looks like you are favouring the person who signs.

A small candle passes most of these tests: it is low in value, clearly a festive greeting, and has no resale or cash use. That is the only reason we suggest it here. It still has to pass the client's own policy.

Token options compared

Shop prices per piece; your quote confirms the final price per gift with branding and delivery. We have kept every option here in our under Rs 500 band on purpose.

The paperwork side: invoice and delivery

Companies that deal with public bodies usually need a clean paper trail for any gift. On a Raajkosh corporate order you get:

• A GST invoice with your company's billing name, address and GSTIN (ours is 03AEMPG4934K1ZF).
• Orders from 10 gifts, with no minimum order value. Fewer than 10, buy from the shop.
• Your logo on the gift tag or the note card, which keeps the gift clearly from the company, not from one person. The wax seal is also an option; branding and lead time are confirmed in the quote.
• Delivery to one office or every address across India, so each token goes to the office, not a home.
• Prepaid as set out in the quote. No cash on delivery.
• Branded gifts are not returnable unless damaged, defective or wrong.

Full terms: Raajkosh corporate gifting: minimum order, logo and GST.

When to skip the candle entirely

If the client's gift policy says no gifts, send a card and nothing else. If their office bans open flames, a candle is decor at best, so a card or calendar is cleaner. If the client does not celebrate the festival you are marking, a diya or a lotus is the wrong token; a plain spiral or a card is better. And if you need the tokens to arrive on a set day, we cannot promise one: order early and check the delivery estimate for each pincode.

Ask for a quote for modest tokens

Tell us the number, the budget band and the office addresses at raajkosh.com/corporate, or WhatsApp +91 85958 24586. Check the client's gift policy before you approve the quote.