Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday the seaplane service connecting the Statue of Unity in Kevadia of Gujarat’s Narmada district with Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad will boost tourism in the area. “The seaplane service from Sardar Sarovar to Sabarmati Riverfront is also going to be launched today. For the vision of Sardar Patel, the countrymen will now also have the option of seaplane service to see the Statue of Unity. This will boost tourism in this area,” PM Modi said.
“It is also a wonderful coincidence that today is also Valmiki Jayanti. The cultural unity of India that we see today… The India we experience, the work of making it more vibrant and energetic was done centuries ago by Adikavi Maharishi Valmiki,” he added.
PM Modi said 130 crore Indians together honoured the Covid-19 warriors in their fight against the pandemic, adding that the way the country has proved its collective potential during this time is unprecedented
“Nobody had imagined last year that Covid-19 pandemic would strike, but the country fought with collective strength and will, which is unprecedented in history. When other countries of the world are struggling against the pandemic, India has fought it bravely and is coming out of it,” he said.
On the occasion of National Unity Day, PM Modi visited the Statue of Unity in Kevadia and paid his respects to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 145th birth anniversary. Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, also known as the National Unity Day, is observed to commemorate Sardar Patel, India’s first home minister. Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all the 562 princely states of the pre-Independent country to build the Republic of India.
The Prime Minister also witnessed the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and administered a pledge for national unity. “A humble tribute to Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the pioneer of national unity and integrity, on his birth anniversary. Tributes to the great Sardar Patel on his Jayanti,” PM Modi had tweeted earlier in the day.
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the subsequent lockdown in March, to mark the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
