Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Narmada district, marking the freedom fighter and India’s first Deputy Prime Minister’s 151st birth anniversary. The tribute at the world’s tallest statue opens the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas programme at Ekta Nagar, the annual National Unity Day observance.
The Statue of Unity, at 182 metres, commemorates Patel’s role in bringing the princely states together after Independence. The observance at Ekta Nagar has grown into one of the government’s most visible national unity ceremonies, combining tribute, parade and cultural celebration.
Rs 426.71 crore in projects at Ekta Nagar
The Prime Minister inaugurates and lays foundation stones for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects at Ekta Nagar, with a combined outlay of Rs 426.71 crore. Of these, 23 projects worth Rs 307.83 crore are formally inaugurated, as part of a drive to transform the Statue of Unity precinct into a world-class tourism hub.
The marquee additions include an IRCTC hotel built at a cost of Rs 50 crore, the Ekta Cruise costing Rs 16 crore, a Rain Forest attraction worth Rs 14.30 crore and an Eco Trail developed at a cost of Rs 3.67 crore. Travelators worth Rs 28.22 crore and a sewage treatment plant worth Rs 45.53 crore are also among the inaugurated projects, reflecting a mix of visitor attractions and supporting infrastructure.
Parade, drama and thousands of artistes
The evening Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations feature the Ekta Parade, with contingents from the Central Armed Police Forces, state police forces and central police organisations. Tableaux and cultural performances are centred on the theme Vande Mataram, while a larger cultural presentation involving around 5,000 artistes from across the country showcases India’s diverse artistic traditions.
A theatrical presentation on Naxal Mukt Bharat, organised by the National School of Drama, involves around 2,000 artistes from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism. The Prime Minister also visits the Rain Forest and Vaman Vriksha Vatika before attending the celebrations, and the festival at Ekta Nagar continues until November 15.
Why Rashtriya Ekta Diwas matters
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is observed every year to mark Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary and to commemorate his role in integrating more than 500 princely states into the Indian Union after Independence. Patel, also India’s first Home Minister, is remembered as the architect of national integration, and the Ekta Nagar programme uses his legacy to frame a message of unity across states, languages and cultures.
The Ekta Nagar push sits alongside other national programmes. The latest PM-KISAN instalment reaches more than 9.34 crore farmer families, while India’s space programme restores NavIC towards standalone positioning.
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