Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a two-day visit to Gujarat from October 30-31, 2020. He inaugurated 17 projects around the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat and laid the foundation stone for 4 new projects.
He paid homage to Sardar Vallabhai Patel at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat on National Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) i.e. October 31, 2020. National Unity Day is celebrated to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
Highlights from the Visit:
India’s First Sea-Plane Service:
Prime Minister also launched India’s First Seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.
i.The seaplane is a 19-seater seaplane and will be operated by SpiceJet.
ii.30 percent of the seats will be priced at Rs 1,500 under the UDAN scheme.
iii.This is the first of the five seaplane services in Gujarat. The other spots are Dharoi dam in Mehsana district, to connect ambaji and shatrunjay dam in Palitana of Bhavnagar district and Tapi will be started in the next phase.
iv.Spice jet has wet-leased an 18-seater Twin Otter 300 seaplane from Maldivian Aero, the national airline of Maldives.
Waterdromes:
i.He also inaugurated Water Aerodrome in Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.
ii.The series of Water Aerodromes will ensure in bringing last mile connectivity.
Inauguration of Sardar Patel Zoological Park:
Prime Minister inaugurated Sardar Patel Zoological Park popularly known as Jungle Safari in Gujarat’s Narmada district.
i.It is the fastest ever built Jungle Safari.
iii.It is spread over an area of 375 acres at seven different levels ranging from 29 to 180 meters and has more than 1100 Birds & Animals and 5 Lakh plants.
iv.It has two aviaries (enclosure for keeping birds in) – one for domestic birds and another for exotic birds.
World’s Largest Geodesic Dome:
i.It is the World’s largest Geodesic Dome for aviary and encloses a petting zone that houses macaws, persian cats, rabbits, young horses, small sheep and goats, turkeys and geese.
ii.The Fly-high Indian Aviary would provide an interesting atmosphere for bird watchers.
Inauguration of Unity Glow Garden & Cactus Garden:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Unity Glow Garden which is the first-of-its-kind in India & Cactus Garden.
Unity Glow Garden:
i.Unity Glow Garden which is the First-of-its-kind in India is a theme park spread over an area of 3.61 acres.
ii.It has an glimmering array of installations, figures and optical illusions.
Cactus Garden:
i.Cactus Garden is a grand architectural greenhouse with 450 national and international species from 17 countries.
ii.It is spread over an area of 25 acres and has around 6 lakh plants including 1.9 lakh cactus plants.
Ekta Mall:
Ekta Mall displays a wide range of handicrafts and traditional items from all over India symbolizing unity in diversity.
i.It is a special store constructed near the State of Unity, tourists can buy handloom and handicraft products belonging to different states under one roof.
ii.It has been developed on the theme of Unity in Handicraft & Handloom Diversity.
iii.The Mall which was built in 110 days is spread over 35000 Square feet and consists of 20 Emporia each representing a specific state in India.
iv.It houses the emporia of Garvi Gurjari, Purbashree, Kairali, Mrugnayani, Pumpuhar, Gangotri, Kavi. It also includes stores of Khadi India and Coir Board and other establishments.
Children Nutrition Park & Mirror Maze:
i.It is the world’s first ever technology drive nutrition park for children and is spread over an area of 35, 000 square feet.
ii.The nutrition park includes a Nutri train which runs across the park to various theme based stations such as ‘Phalshaka Griham’, ‘Payonagari’, ‘Annapoorna’, ‘Poshan Puran’, and ‘Swastha Bharatam’.
iii.The park will raise awareness about nutrition through edutainment activities like Mirror Maze, 5D Virtual reality theatre and Augmented reality games.
Unveiling of Kevadia Mobile app:
He introduced a website of Statue of Unity in all the United Nations (UN) official languages and launched the Kevadia Mobile App.
i.The Website and app will guide tourists visiting the Statue of Unity, Kevadia.
Arogya Van & Arogya Kutir:
The Prime Minister also inaugurated Arogya Van & Arogya Kutir.
ii.Arogya Van (Health Forest) has 5 Lakh Plants of 380 different species spread over an area of 17 acres.
iii.Arogya Kutir has a traditional treatment facility named Santhigiri wellness centre which provides healthcare based on Ayurveda, Siddha, Yoga and Panchakarma.
Ekta Cruise Service:
i.The Prime Minister inaugurated the Ekta Cruise Service through which tourists can experience beautiful views of the Statue of Unity.
ii.The 40 Minute Ferry Boat Service operates from Shrestha Bharat Bhavan to Statue of Unity by covering a distance of 6 kilometres.
iii.The boat is capable of ferrying 200 passengers at a time.
iv.A New Gora Bridge has been built specially for the operation of the ferry service.
v.A Boating Channel has been constructed to provide boating services to tourists visiting the Statue of Unity.
Dynamic Lighting for Sardar Sarovar Dam:
He also unveiled Dynamic Lighting for the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat.
Virtual Stone-laying ceremony:
PM also performed a virtual stone-laying ceremony for government quarters, quarters for State Reserve Police Personnel, Adarsh Gram, a project of 400 houses for the resettlement of project-affected people from five villages around the statue of unity.
About Gujarat:
Governor – Acharya Devvrat
Chief Minister – Vijay Rupani
