Statue of Unity: Key Facts

 The Statue of Unity is a statue of Indian statesman and first Dy Prime Minister and Home
Minister of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel who lived from 1875 to 1950
 Known as the ‘Iron Man of India’ Sardar Patel was instrumental in the unification of
hundreds of princely states that divided India into many parts. With his efforts the modern
political boundary of India could be formed.
 Located in the Narmada District of Gujarat, the Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the
world with 182 Metres (597 ft) height and is about four times the height of Statue of Liberty
 The Statue of Unity is on a river-island facing the Narmada Dam (Sardar Sarovar Dam)
near Rajpipla, about 100 Kms southwest of Vadodara city in Gujarat.
 The Statue of Unity monument and its surroundings occupy more than 2 hectares (4.9
acres) area. It is surrounded by a 12 sq km artificial lake.
 The Statue of Unity was built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), who got the construction
contract for ₹2,989 crore (US$420 million) for the design, construction, and maintenance in
October 2014.
 The construction of the project was started on 31 October 2014 and completed in mid-
October 2018.
 The Statue of Unity was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V Sutar
 The Statue was dedicated to Nation by Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Bhai
Modi on October 31, 2018 on the 143rd Birth Anniversary of Sardar Patel
 The statue was built on a Public Private Partnership model. Most of the money was raised
by the Government of Gujarat. The Government of India had allotted ₹3 billion (US$42 million)
for the project in the budget from 2012 to 2016 

Pride of India: Pros

 Statue of Unity, the world’s highest statue is not only a tribute to the Iron Man of India,
but also is the first such tourist attraction located in India and is termed ‘Pride of Nation’
 A sense of patriotism and united India is infused within the hearts of the people who visit
the Statue of Unity or even have a glimpse of it
 The statue is estimated to remain as it is for 1000 years. It implies that it will
continue contributing to the national income of India through tourism for 10 centuries
 Since the Statue has been built on PPP model, the public money spent on it is less than
the private money spent on it.
 L&T spent the major part of the money in constructing the statue. Around 10% of the
amount spent is contributed by the Government.
 The Statue of Unity will help in increasing tourism income and a large area with Hotels,
transport and other services will develop fast
 Thousands of people in Narmada District and nearby areas will get employment
opportunity directly or indirectly
 It is estimated that more than 10 Lakh tourists will visit the Statue of Unity every year.
This will help in generating huge income from tourism and transportation and other services.
Entire money spent on the construction is expected to be recovered in the next 35-40 years.

Wastage of Money: Cons

Many Social Activists, environment activists and political parties despite agreeing that the Statue
of Unity is a pride of nation are of the view that it is wastage of Money especially for a country
like India. The reasons cited are:
 The release of Rs.200 crores by the Government of India for the project attracted the ire
of several people and political parties. They criticised the expenditure on the statue over other
priorities like women's safety, education and agricultural schemes
 L&T contracted with TQ Art Foundry – a subsidiary of the Jiangxi Toqine Company
based in China – for the bronze cladding of the statue and spent huge amount. The move was
criticised by the Indian national ongress and other opposition parties. However, It was
clarified that 9 percent of the total value of the project was sourced from China.
 Social Activists have opposed the project on the ground that India is suffering from
natural calamities like floods and cyclones in many parts of the country e.g. Kerala, Orissa.
Accordingly instead of putting in the money in the construction of statue, the money could have
gone to address these problems of common people
 There are other pressing needs in India – like education, health, safety, employment. The
money could have been utilized in these sectors
 Local Tribals were dislocated as their land was acquired for the construction of the statue.
The Tadvi tribe opposed land acquisition for the development of tourism infrastructure around the
statue. However, they were offered cash and land compensation, and have been provided jobs
before land acquisition
 Activists like Medha Patkar, Gladson Dungdung opposed the project on the ground that it
was a place of religious importance, so the statue should not be built on the land
 Environmental activists wrote a letter to the central government contending that project
implementation started without clearance from the Environment Ministry.
 People of Kevadia, Kothi, Waghodia, Limbdi, Navagam, and Gora villages opposed the
construction of the statue and demanded the restitution of the land rights over 375 hectares (927
acres) of land acquired earlier for the dam.