Kevadiya (Gujarat), Oct 31 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated to the nation the much-talked about Statue of Unity in honour of country's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The 182-metre statue of Patel stands on Sadhu island on the Narmada and is said to be twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US.
Commencing his speech, Prime Minister Modi gave a slogan to the large gathering 'Sardar Patel - Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe'.
"It is in fitness of things that Sardar Patel's birthday today is being celebrated as Ekta Diwas in the country," Mr Modi said.
The statue has been built at a cost of about Rs 2,400 crore. Approximately 70,000 tonnes of cement in addition to 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel and 6000 tonnes of structural steel have been used to build the statue - also billed as an architectural wonder.
As part of the effort to make the region around the statue a tourist spot, many projects like Valley of Flowers and Tent City have been developed. The Prime Minister went around and saw the Valley of flowers on Wednesday morning.
'In vintage Sardar Patel style, he went about his work with precision, firmness and administrative efficiency,' the Prime Minister wrote in an article paying tributes to Sardar Patel.
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