Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity built on the banks of the Narmada river has been named as the eight wonders of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The good news was announced by India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who announced the inclusion of `Statue of Unity` in Eight wonders of SCO.
Jaishankar met secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Vladimir Norov, and appreciated the organization`s efforts to promote tourism among member states. The foreign minister took to Twitter to announce the big news.
The inclusion of Statue of Unity in eight wonders of SCO means that the organization will now promote the tallest statue among member countries. The Statue of Unity is a statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India. It is the world`s tallest statue with a height of (597 ft) 182 metres located on a river-facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada in Kevadiya colony. It was designed by Indian sculptor Ram V Sutar, and was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, the 143rd birth anniversary of Patel.
The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd on December 5, 2019 informed that the tourist inflow at the World`s tallest statue on Narmada river – Statue of Unity outpaced that at the Statue of Liberty in the US. The daily average tourist footfall at Statue of Unity during November 2019 reached 15,036, whereas Statue of Liberty attracts around 10,000 daily visitors on average. "It is noteworthy that the Statue of Liberty in the US is a 133-year old world-famous monument, whereas the Statue of Unity is just 13 months old," stated a statement from the SSNNL.
