Of these villages, 32 have been most affected.Īlso read: Statue of Unity: An Open Letter to Sardar Patel by Medha Patkar The statue’s construction has affected 75,000 tribals across 72 villages in Gujarat’s Narmada district, NDTV reported on October 20, 2018. They are unhappy with the cost of the project and with the lack of adequate rehabilitation efforts and water shortages in the catchment area where the statue is located. Thousands of tribals and farmers in Gujarat are planning a mass protest against the unveiling of the statue. Sardar Patel – independent India’s first deputy prime minister and home minister – was popularly known as the ‘Iron Man of India’ for his role in bringing about the merger of the princely states post-independence. The statue is now the world’s tallest at 182 metres (597 feet) or nearly 100 times taller than someone 6 feet tall. The Statue of Unity – representing the symbolic unification of India post-Independence – was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31, 2018, as tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 143rd birth anniversary. The construction cost could have been used to irrigate 40,192 hectares of land, cover repair, renovation and restoration of 162 minor irrigation schemes and the construction of 425 small check-dams. The statue’s construction cost is more than double the estimated amount for proposals submitted to the central government by the Gujarat government to include in Pradhanmantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (Prime Ministers Agriculture-Irrigation Scheme). October 14 is celebrated as Dhamma Chakra Parivartan Din by Ambedkarites.Mumbai: The Statue of Unity, built at an estimated cost of Rs 2,989 crore, could have instead funded two new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campuses, five Indian Institute of Management (IIM) campuses and six Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) missions to Mars. Ambedkar played a key role in social movements that fought for the rights of Dalits and untouchables.Īmbedkar died on December 6, 1956, months after he embraced Buddhism on October 14 that year, the date coinciding with the unveiling of the statue in Maryland. Post-Independence, Ambedkar was also the Minister of Law and Justice in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's first Cabinet. Pulivarti, president and CEO for US India SME Council, presented the US President's Lifetime Achievement Award to DICCI president Narra in recognition of his community service. The unveiling ceremony was followed by cultural performances by Indian-Americans from various parts of the country.Įlisha B. "This is for the first time in the world that we are having such a tall statue of Babasaheb outside India". Mahindra Rajwade, who drove for more than 10 hours from Kentucky to attend the statue unveiling ceremony, said this is a proud moment for all followers of Dr Ambedkar. "This is a historic step towards unifying the Indian-American diaspora and working towards making India a superpower not just in technology but also in social justice," he said. "This statue will not just inspire millions of Indians residing in the US but all communities including Black, Hispanic and others!" Mhaske said. "Although this is completely done through community contributions, we received congratulatory messages from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stating 'Ambedkarite has put the foundation of Unified India in the USA and globally'," he said. The "Statue of Equality" represents 1.4 billion Indians and 4.5 million Indian Americans, said Deelip Mhaske from New York who leads the Ambedkarite movement in the US. "The greatest economic policy advocated by Dr Ambedkar is now becoming the reality," he said. Narra, who travelled from India to attend the ceremony, said now all the developed nations have realized and also underdeveloped nations are thinking of implementing Ambedkar's ideology that a country cannot become rich and great unless each and every citizen gets empowered. "Earlier he was treated as a Dalit leader, but now the entire nation is recognizing his contribution of empowering the woman and for the marginalized society as well as the economic weaker sections," Ravi Kumar Narra, national president of Dalit Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DICCI), told PTI.
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