The Statue of Unity

Anand Shankar

July 11 · New Delhi · 

The Finance Minister allocated 200 crores in the budget towards The Statue of Unity. It is not just a matter of tribute to Sardar Patel, which he totally deserves, or of a symbol of national integration.

This tallest statue in the world will serve as a tourist destination fetching far more revenues, including foreign exchange, to the government than the investment in the long run.

It will generate livelihood opportunities during its construction as well post construction thr...

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• Madan Mishra, Ritu Bhutani and 5 others like this.
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  Swagat Borah it is a 2500 crore project btw, 200 crore is being allocated by the Center this year. So that is too high a figure to break even. Moreover, the proposed location is not a tourist centric location, so i don't think there will e a huge influx of people who would travel so far in Gujrat just to see a statue of a leader; 
  
  Taj mahal has its own history that attracts tourists, is favourably located near New Delhi, the Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American freedom and is strategically located in New york.

  July 11 at 3:10pm · Like · 1
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  Swagat Borah The bigger question is, should India invest so much money into this project when it already has a dozen other pressing issues to invest upon? Basic hygiene, education, poverty, population control etc should be solved first. A first world country can afford to commemorate their leaders in such a grandiose manner but not India.

  July 11 at 3:13pm · Like · 3
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  Anand Shankar Swagat 
  Yes, this is only a kick-start allocation for the Rs 2063 Crore project. 
  Making it a center of tourism is the goal of the project. 
  About the location, read here. http://www.statueofunity.in/location.html

  

  Statue Of Unity Official Website- Location

  There could not be a more grand location as also apt location for the Statue of Unity to be erected than the Sardar Sarovar...

  STATUEOFUNITY.IN

  July 11 at 3:24pm · Like · 1 · Remove Preview
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  Anand Shankar The problems you have enlisted require revenue to be solved.
  
  Moreover, education, hygine, poverty alleviation are not direct revenue generators. Their indirect contribution to the economy is realized in a long time, say 10-20 years. Therefore, the government has to sacrifice some of the revenue to projects that can generate income in a comparatively less time at the expense of these social sectors.
  
  Therefore, the question again becomes, what is the better way to generate this revenue for the government? As I said, the scope of the statue is more pervasive than just commemorating the great leader.
  
  Tourism contributes around 6-7% of the GDP already in addition to earning the critical foreign reserves (through which we pay for oil etc). Maintenance overhead "seems" to be lesser in case of monuments etc. It is an economically strategic sector to invest in.

  July 11 at 3:40pm · Like
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  Swagat Borah building a mall or cleaning up indian beaches would generate more revenue than this. Btw, I don't think tourism revenue generation is the reason behind building this statue in the first place. I can fathom a european coming all the way down to Gujrat just to watch a statue of some indian leader and then go back. There is no user engagement in a statue that would generate the type of revenue that u talk about in terms of hotels, restaurants, mementos, etc.

  July 11 at 3:53pm · Like · 2
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  Anand Shankar "The majesty of this grand monument will be enhanced by a picturesque backdrop. Its unique location will prove to be beneficial for eco-tourism and regional development. ". Feature of the project. 
  Here are the objectives: http://www.statueofunity.in/project-objectives.html
  
  Cleaning the beaches is an important step and is already being done by governments. But that will not generate additional capacity and new ventures for tourism are needed.
  
  Is it the only method, or the best method for revenue generation? No.
  Is it a viable method? I think yes.

  

  Statue Of Unity Official Website - Project objectives

  As a memorial to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the statue will...

  STATUEOFUNITY.IN

  July 11 at 6:47pm · Like · Remove Preview
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  Swagat Borah that is what my point is, they have the agenda towards a good goal, but they most probably wont meet such goals. All the other similar projects are either located on better accessible areas and/or are statues of Gods; religious affinity is far more attractive than political history would ever have. Anyway, 2500 crores is not a joke.