Kovind was on his visit to the Statue of Unity (SOU) at Kevadia Colony of Gujarat on the death anniversary of Sardar Patel.
President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday, said that It was impossible to imagine modern India without Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. Kovind was on his visit to the Statue of Unity (SOU) at Kevadia Colony of Gujarat on the death anniversary of Sardar Patel. He also laid the foundation stone for the railway project that will connect the site of the world's tallest statue to Vadodara.
The President said, "Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel are gifts to our nation. They are meant for the welfare of humankind. Their contribution to this nation is so great that we cannot imagine modern India without any of them."
The President was accompanied by his wife Savita Kovind, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Chief Secretary of Gujarat Dr JN Singh. He visited the SOU site and also the flower valley. The President paid a floral tribute to Sardar Patel and also remained present in the prayer meet held at Gandhinagar to commemorate him.
Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kovind further said, "The then Gujarat CM and current PM Narendra Modi has made Gujarat emba-rk on a path of development. The state made records during his leadership and now India, is poised to be a wo-rld leader under his guidance."
The President appreciated how the state has utilised its water resources to overcome crises along with a sensitive approach towards project affected people (PAP).
The CM Vijay Rupani said, "The site of Statue of Unity has been known as Ekta Nagar. The way Sardar Patel united the princely states and formed united India, this place also signifies his contribution as people from different states come here with respect to the iron man." The president laid the foundation stone for the project of railway station near Kevadiya village, around 5 kms from the statue. The state-of-the-art railway station, proposed to be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore will be prepared on green building concept.
This project is aimed at providing direct rail connectivity to tourists visiting the Statue. Following to this, the CM Rupani and union minister Piyush Goyal headed to Vadodara for the inauguration of India's first railway university. Inaugurating Indian Railway And Transport Institution, Rupani said the university would play important role to create skills for bullet train and rail network in India.
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