Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) is annually observed across India on 31st October to mark the birth anniversary of Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel, endeared as ‘Sardar’, the First Deputy Prime Minister of India and the first Home Minister of India.
- The day aims to acknowledge and honour the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was also known as the Iron Man of India.
- 31st October 2021 marks the 146th Birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Background:
i.In 2014, The government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the 31st October of every year, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as the National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
ii.The first National Unity Day was celebrated on 31st October 2014.
Statue of Unity:
i.The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is the world’s tallest statue, with a height of 182 metres (around 597 feet).
ii.It is located in Kevadiya, Gujarat, on the Narmada River in the Kevadiya colony, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam.
Events of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2021:
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh dedicated ‘Sardar Patel Leadership Centre’
On the occasion of the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2021, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State(MoS) for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, dedicated the Sardar Patel Leadership Centre to the nation at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie,Uttarkhand.
National Rail Museum celebrates Ekta Week:
The National Rail Museum (NRM) celebrates Ekta Week by organising an exhibition on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Indian Railways starting from 31 October 2021 to 14 November 2021.
- This exhibition is a tribute by NRM as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
- The Exhibition was inaugurated by R.N. Singh, Secretary Railway Board.
Run for Unity:
Run for Unity is organised in various parts of the country to mark the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2021.
i.National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd., (NMDC) under the Ministry of Steel, India’s largest producer of iron ore, celebrated the day with the event ‘Run for Unity’.
ii.The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying (FAHD) has also organised a Run for Unity to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who advocated the farmers’ cooperative, which marked the beginning of the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited, popularly known as Amul.
Others:
NHPC India’s premier hydropower company of the Government of India observed Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on 31st October 2021 on the occasion of the Birth Anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
