The Government allocated Rs200 crore from Central funds to fulfil the pet project started by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister in raising the largest statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel as a symbol of unity in the State.
“The Gujarat Government has embarked upon the mission to build the largest statue of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel. Sardar Patel stands as the symbol of the unity of the country. To support the Gujarat Government in this initiative to erect the statue of unity, I propose to set aside a sum of Rs200 crore,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said in his Budget speech.
It was Modi who had laid the foundation stone of the statue in October 2013 on the 138th birth anniversary of the first Home Minister of the country, also called the ‘Iron Man of India’. The total height of the statue from its base is planned to be 240 metre consisting base level of 58 metre and statue of 182 metre.
The monument is being built on a public-private partnership model, with most of the money raised through public contribution and Gujarat Government has already allocated Rs100 crore for the project.