The Indian Tea Association, the North Indian tea producers’ lobby, will hold a charity auction on the inaugural day of the second Darjeeling Tea & Tourism Festival on Dec 20.

The proceeds from the auction will be donated towards welfare of the people of Darjeeling hills in West Bengal.

According to an ITA release, at the charity auction, seven lots of whole-leaf Darjeeling tea from seven valleys in Darjeeling will be offered for sale.

The auction will be handled by J. Thomas & Co Pvt Ltd, in the presence of Bimal Gurung, Chief Executive of the Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA), which is organising the 15-day festival.