India's billion-dollar battle to build the world's biggest statue

[my2cents]

© Provided by AFP The statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in India's Gujarat state will stand 182 metres high when completed The world's biggest statue is rising in a remote corner of India to honour an independence hero but it could quickly be outdone by a monument to a Hindu warrior king in the sea off Mumbai.

In a burst of nationalist fervour, around one billion dollars is being spent on the two giant effigies, each more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

A 182-metre-high (600-foot-high) tribute to independence icon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat state will be the first to dwarf the Spring Temple Buddha in China, currently the world's biggest statue at 128 metres (420 feet) in height.

Pick-axes are also swinging for a 212-metre-high likeness of 17th-century king Chhatrapati Shivaji, resplendent on a horse and brandishing a sword, which should dominate the Mumbai shoreline from 2021.

An army of 2,500 workers -- including several hundred Chinese labourers -- is toiling around the clock to put 5,000 squares of bronze cladding on the figure of Patel so it can be ready for inauguration on October 31 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 29.9-billion-rupee ($430-million) "Statue of Unity" overlooking the isolated Sardar Sarovar Dam is a pet project of Modi.

He has predicted it will attract "hordes" of tourists, as the Statue of Liberty does in New York.

Visitors will be able to access a viewing gallery 153 metres up -- about chest height on the huge standing figure.

But they will have to travel 250 kilometres (150 miles) from the state's main city of Allahabad to get there.

'Iron Man' emerges

There is also a political motive to the mega project, with India heading into a campaign for a national election early next year.

© Provided by AFP An army of 2,500 workers is toiling around the clock to finish the Patel statue by October 31

Patel was deputy to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru after independence in 1947 and Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party says his name has been unfairly overshadowed by the dominant Nehru dynasty.

Patel became known as the "Iron Man of India" by persuading -- through talks and a hint of force -- some 550 princely states to become part of India after independence from Britain in 1947. He died three years later.

Many Hindu nationalists feel it was a slight when Patel was asked to step aside to let the secular Nehru become the country's first leader.

"Every Indian regrets Sardar Patel did not become the first prime minister," Modi said while campaigning in 2013.

"Modi has used Patel's legacy a lot in his election campaigns," said Ghanshyam Shah, a former professor of class politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

"He is very likely to use the Statue of Unity during the upcoming campaign but I am worried about how it will influence voters," Shah added.

The opposition Congress party says that a plan to change the Nehru Memorial museum in New Delhi into a centre devoted to all of India's prime ministers is another bid to taint Nehru's name.

In 2016, Modi laid the foundation stone in Maharashtra state for the statue of Shivaji, a hero of the 80 million strong Marathi community-based in the state.

Hindu nationalists have also adopted Shivaji, who made his name battling the Muslim Mughal empire. Critics say the 36-billion-rupee ($515-million) statue is a way of winning Marathi votes in next year's election.

Fuelling the fervour, the government announced last week that the word "Maharaj", or king, had been added to the title of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Statue politics

"The BJP has been appropriating icons for some time," said Sudha Pai of the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

"Patel has been used to wipe out the Nehru legacy. The BJP wants to change the way history is perceived and show that the right wing was as important in India's freedom struggle."

Preliminary work has started on the controversial project -- with a museum, park and helipad -- on reclaimed land two kilometres (1.5 miles) out to sea.

Environmentalists and thousands of fishing workers oppose the statue because of the threat to fishing stocks.

The price of the monument is certain to rise, analysts say and the state government has already changed the design to bring down costs.

How it will eventually look and when it will be finished remains in doubt.

India's statue politics often fall victim to "hard economic reality", according to Badra Narayan, a professor at the Pant Social Science Institute in Allahabad.

An overrun is inevitable, according to I.C. Rao, head of a Mumbai citizens' group, who has questioned the cost and safety of the Shivaji design.

He said finishing the statue on time, would be "an impossibility even for the Trojans".

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/worl...lds-biggest-statue/ar-BBMQ1cS?ocid=spartanntp

India is Chinas slave there are 100's of Chinese workers building this statue lol.

Indians proving how disgusting they are, 600 million people live in poverty, people defecating on the street, railway lines, beaches, public health is a disgrace, corruption, education is a disgrace, rape, people smuggling, no law and order, minorities are persecuted and killed. But yet they are spending $1 billion on a shitty statue to some guy who died 500 years ago.

But I guess I am lying India is a rich country, safe country, India has no problems so they can afford to spend money on some statue to a long-dead Indian.

A billion dollars will not solve India's poverty. Nonetheless I agree to jest of your concern.

You think every dollar you spend on trivial things will help every poor family. It will not make much dent to overall poverty- maybe uplift few.

 

[khansaheeb]

that would be pakistani tower .



have you made toilet for you 50 percent population living below poverty line , your children are suffering from stunted growth because of lack of toilet . now go beg for 12 billion dollars some where to pay interest on loans .

Stunted growth? Have you been to Pakistan? The kids there are twice the height of Indians.

 

[Tshering22]

© Provided by AFP The statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in India's Gujarat state will stand 182 metres high when completed The world's biggest statue is rising in a remote corner of India to honour an independence hero but it could quickly be outdone by a monument to a Hindu warrior king in the sea off Mumbai.

In a burst of nationalist fervour, around one billion dollars is being spent on the two giant effigies, each more than twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

A 182-metre-high (600-foot-high) tribute to independence icon Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat state will be the first to dwarf the Spring Temple Buddha in China, currently the world's biggest statue at 128 metres (420 feet) in height.

Pick-axes are also swinging for a 212-metre-high likeness of 17th-century king Chhatrapati Shivaji, resplendent on a horse and brandishing a sword, which should dominate the Mumbai shoreline from 2021.

An army of 2,500 workers -- including several hundred Chinese labourers -- is toiling around the clock to put 5,000 squares of bronze cladding on the figure of Patel so it can be ready for inauguration on October 31 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 29.9-billion-rupee ($430-million) "Statue of Unity" overlooking the isolated Sardar Sarovar Dam is a pet project of Modi.

He has predicted it will attract "hordes" of tourists, as the Statue of Liberty does in New York.

Visitors will be able to access a viewing gallery 153 metres up -- about chest height on the huge standing figure.

But they will have to travel 250 kilometres (150 miles) from the state's main city of Allahabad to get there.

'Iron Man' emerges

There is also a political motive to the mega project, with India heading into a campaign for a national election early next year.

© Provided by AFP An army of 2,500 workers is toiling around the clock to finish the Patel statue by October 31

Patel was deputy to India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru after independence in 1947 and Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party says his name has been unfairly overshadowed by the dominant Nehru dynasty.

Patel became known as the "Iron Man of India" by persuading -- through talks and a hint of force -- some 550 princely states to become part of India after independence from Britain in 1947. He died three years later.

Many Hindu nationalists feel it was a slight when Patel was asked to step aside to let the secular Nehru become the country's first leader.

"Every Indian regrets Sardar Patel did not become the first prime minister," Modi said while campaigning in 2013.

"Modi has used Patel's legacy a lot in his election campaigns," said Ghanshyam Shah, a former professor of class politics at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

"He is very likely to use the Statue of Unity during the upcoming campaign but I am worried about how it will influence voters," Shah added.

The opposition Congress party says that a plan to change the Nehru Memorial museum in New Delhi into a centre devoted to all of India's prime ministers is another bid to taint Nehru's name.

In 2016, Modi laid the foundation stone in Maharashtra state for the statue of Shivaji, a hero of the 80 million strong Marathi community-based in the state.

Hindu nationalists have also adopted Shivaji, who made his name battling the Muslim Mughal empire. Critics say the 36-billion-rupee ($515-million) statue is a way of winning Marathi votes in next year's election.

Fuelling the fervour, the government announced last week that the word "Maharaj", or king, had been added to the title of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Statue politics

"The BJP has been appropriating icons for some time," said Sudha Pai of the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

"Patel has been used to wipe out the Nehru legacy. The BJP wants to change the way history is perceived and show that the right wing was as important in India's freedom struggle."

Preliminary work has started on the controversial project -- with a museum, park and helipad -- on reclaimed land two kilometres (1.5 miles) out to sea.

Environmentalists and thousands of fishing workers oppose the statue because of the threat to fishing stocks.

The price of the monument is certain to rise, analysts say and the state government has already changed the design to bring down costs.

How it will eventually look and when it will be finished remains in doubt.

India's statue politics often fall victim to "hard economic reality", according to Badra Narayan, a professor at the Pant Social Science Institute in Allahabad.

An overrun is inevitable, according to I.C. Rao, head of a Mumbai citizens' group, who has questioned the cost and safety of the Shivaji design.

He said finishing the statue on time, would be "an impossibility even for the Trojans".

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/worl...lds-biggest-statue/ar-BBMQ1cS?ocid=spartanntp

India is Chinas slave there are 100's of Chinese workers building this statue lol.

Indians proving how disgusting they are, 600 million people live in poverty, people defecating on the street, railway lines, beaches, public health is a disgrace, corruption, education is a disgrace, rape, people smuggling, no law and order, minorities are persecuted and killed. But yet they are spending $1 billion on a shitty statue to some guy who died 500 years ago.

But I guess I am lying India is a rich country, safe country, India has no problems so they can afford to spend money on some statue to a long-dead Indian

You really don't know Gujarati people . They'll make it into a fine tourism revenue generator in no time. Poverty, crime will always be there no matter how strict the rules are. Does it mean people stop other things? The statue is somewhat similar to the Statue of Liberty in US and will serve a similar purpose.

Besides, it is not like development projects are being halted for this. Roads are still being rapidly built, cities are being revamped, metro rails are being developed and police forces are being modernised across India's homeland security landscape, with this year's Home Ministry's budget being the biggest allotment ever in its history.

Being a large country with anarchy-bordering freedom to people, it will take time to resolve issues. But we will get there.

 

[Shamsher1990]

Stunted growth? Have you been to Pakistan? The kids there are twice the height of Indians.

So you mean median height of an teenager in pakistan is around 8-10 feet?

 

[my2cents]

That's ok Australia needs some new tourist traps, but you know Australian beaches are clean so even though we are a poor country we manage to keep our beaches clean.

Not if you had 1.4 billion to take care of. Just the city of Mumbai has 1.8 crore population which is little less than entire continent of Australia.

 

[Shamsher1990]

Stunted growth? Have you been to Pakistan? The kids there are twice the height of Indians.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/375257...as-fallen-4-inches-over-50-years-say-experts/

Height of Pakistanis has fallen 4 inches over 50 years, say experts

FAISALABAD:

The average height of Pakistanis has fallen four inches over the last 50 years due to malnourishment and food deficiency.


This was revealed in a workshop on “Applied Nature Need Based research Projects of Food Industries” organized by National Institute of Food Science & Technology (NIFSAT) University of Agriculture, Faisalabad here on Monday.

 

[Imran Khan]

man their country their money whats our problem here

 

[Shamsher1990]

man their country their money whats our problem here

OP has a massive problem with India. At a very personal level.

 

[Tshering22]

OP has a massive problem with India. At a very personal level.

It is a serious one which he has been kind enough to explain. What happened with him can happen as much with a local Indian and is a serious matter.

However, he has been maligning the entire country for that personal experience.

It is weird. For example, Just because I almost got mugged and was saved by a stroke of luck, does not mean that I would brand entire UK as a country of muggers and thieves. There are kind people too and country cannot be labelled that way.

But for what reason he keeps highlighting the entire country as a bad one, I just don't understand.

 

[VILAYATI]

Stunted growth? Have you been to Pakistan? The kids there are twice the height of Indians.

i thought you were well aware of poverty in pakistan , street children are forced to sell their body for 5 rupees a night .

any way look here for stunted growth.



Malnutrition and stunting in Pakistan
With nearly 44pc of children stunted, Pakistan is on a dangerous downward trajectory.

Losing a generation: the impact of malnutrition

By Zulfiqar A Bhutta


With nearly 44pc of children stunted, if the government fails to reverse the situation, Pakistan is on a dangerous downward trajectory

Globally, nearly half of all deaths (some 2.7 million) annually among children under the age of five are attributable to under-nutrition. Associated with increased risk of morbidity and infections, malnutrition also leads to impaired growth and developmental outcomes. To add, around 159m children under five are stunted with heights much less than normal for that age, and with nearly 240m children at risk of developmental impairment.

Malnutrition is not only confined to children but is also rampant among women of reproductive age suffering from anemia, usually related to iron deficiency as well as wasting among poorer communities that are food insecure. Maternal malnutrition not only leads to increased risk of mortality among women but also contributes to fetal growth restriction (small size of the baby during pregnancy) that, in turn, multiplies the risk of growth faltering and stunting in childhood. The latter can cause long-term detrimental cognitive, motor and health impairments.



In Pakistan, malnutrition is widespread among all ages, and progress to address social determinants over the last several decades had been very slow. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2011, one-third of all children are underweight, nearly 44pc are stunted, 15pc are wasted, half of them are anemic and almost one-third of these children have iron deficiency anemia. These rates have hardly changed over two decades according to the findings of a maternal and child nutrition study group published by Lancet in 2013. Notable differences can be found between the nutritional indicators of urban and rural populations; children among the rural and urban poor are at greatest risk. Among women, 14pc in the reproductive age bracket are thin or wasted (with a body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2) and this prevalence is highest among households that are food insecure. These differences in maternal and child malnutrition are also remarkable among various provinces and sub-regions, and clustered in areas widely recognised as high-risk districts.

Risk factors for childhood malnutrition in Pakistan
The most pervasive and dominant factor underlying maternal and child under-nutrition is widespread poverty and food insecurity. Despite a largely agrarian economy, many rural and urban families live below the poverty line. Periodic or seasonal food insecurity is reported by almost 40-50pc of families in certain provinces, especially in Balochistan, Sindh, South Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata. These are also compounded by poor and unhygienic living conditions, little access to safe water and adequate sanitation that exposes children to high rates of intestinal infections and diarrhoea. Recent data from a Unicef progress report (2013-2015) on improving access to sanitation in Pakistan suggests that about 58m people (36pc) either defecate in the open or have access to shared toilets. In rural areas, 45pc of the population still practice open defecation.

To improve child nutrition and reduce stunting, it is imperative to focus on other parallel factors including improving maternal nutrition and antenatal care; especially the nutrition of adolescent girls and young mothers. Low literacy rates especially among women, their lack of empowerment and involvement in decision-making, early marriages, high fertility rates with a lack of birth spacing, and poor access to healthcare facilities are all important determinants of child and maternal malnutrition. Low levels of education, especially awareness of maternal care are also important drivers of under-nutrition largely through improper feeding or dietary practices.



Additionally, a major contributor to childhood malnutrition is the overall poor state of infant and young child feeding. Pakistan is conspicuous for having the lowest rates for the early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding rates and timely initiation of complementary feeding, and the highest rate in the region for bottle-feeding. Despite the established benefits of early and exclusive breastfeeding, even among the poorest families, work pressure, lack of breastfeeding support and ignorance leads to the administration of alternative fluids such as tea and even animal milk. Data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2012-2013) suggests that immediate breastfeeding is initiated in 18pc of all births, whereas exclusive breastfeeding is carried out for only 38pc of infants younger than six months. The promotion and marketing of infant formulas is a recognised barrier for exclusive breastfeeding. Although legislation exists for prohibiting such practices in Pakistan, many hospitals and physicians still breach the code for exclusive breastfeeding. In other instances, inappropriate introduction of formula milk can contribute to excess burden of intestinal infections and malnutrition. Importantly, the national regulatory and support system does not provide paid maternity leave or breastfeeding support mechanisms for working women to continue exclusive breastfeeding, a factor that has been shown in other countries to be a major barrier to appropriate feeding practices.

After the first six months of a child’s life, appropriate complementary feeding of nutritious and safe foods is a cornerstone of adequate childhood nutrition. However, the general lack of awareness of optimal feeding practices and other social taboos and misconceptions (such as the concept of ‘hot and cold foods’ or inappropriateness of some foods for children, such as meats and fruits) further affects practices. To this must be added measures to prevent common childhood illnesses, such as diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections and improving access to timely and quality care.

What must be done?

An 18-month old child is fed by his mother in Muzaffargarh.— UNICEF/Pakistan/Giacomo Pirozzi


A starting point would be recognition that despite better economic conditions and an agrarian population, Pakistan’s nutrition indicators and rates of maternal and childhood nutrition progress have fallen way behind others in the region. This is related to lack of focus on implementing quality programs and addressing disparities. Bringing health and nutrition services closer to women and children and addressing social determinants, such as poverty and lack of women’s empowerment would make the difference. Existing poverty alleviation programmes such as social safety nets like Baitul Maal, Zakat programmes or the Benazir Income Support programs have huge potential for reaching those caught in the spiral of food poverty.

Fortunately, Pakistan has an extensive existing lady health workers programme, that, with improvements, can pave the way to reduce these inequalities. An enhanced focus on promoting exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding through mass media campaigns and existing programs should be prioritised. An effective culturally relevant behavioural change communication strategy must be implemented and sustained. Religious leaders, school teachers and social mobilisers can play an important role in promoting exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding. Healthcare providers must be trained in practices that promote nutrition adequacy for mothers and children, including those that advocate healthy lifestyles, nutrition and physical activity.



Regular monitoring and accountability is critical if Pakistan is to break the logjam for addressing malnutrition. There is a need to ensure regular data on nutrition indicators with more discrete regional or district level information. The situation is ripe for change with greater current emphasis on nutrition and formulation of various national and provincial nutrition focused strategies. Also, there is need for integrating various different sectors and programs to achieve the desired results effectively and efficiently as many of the determinants and influencing factors are outside the health sector. Policymakers need to recognise the importance of improved child health and nutrition for national development — also a key contributor to achieving Pakistan’s sustainable development goals.

The writer is the founding director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University, Karachi. He can be reached atzulfiqar.bhutta@aku.edu


Continue reading the special report.

• THE IMPACT
• SUSTAINABLE NUTRITION
• THE STORY OF SINDH
• THE PERUVIAN MODEL

Stunted growth? Have you been to Pakistan? The kids there are twice the height of Indians.

Lack of toilets tied to stunted growth in Pakistan: UNICEF
By Web Desk
Published: March 9, 2015
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A Pakistani child digs a hole to be used as a toilet for her family at a slum in Multan on March 13, 2012. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: Unicef warned Pakistan that the lack of toilets in the country lead to stunted growth as over 40 million people in Pakistan do not have access to toilets, forcing them to defecate in the open.

During her recent visit to Pakistan, Unicef Deputy Executive Director Geeta Rao Gupta told the Associated Press, “There are 41 million people who do not have access to a toilet in Pakistan and as a result they are defecating in the open. And open defecation has significant health and nutritional consequences.”

Read: World toilet day: Nowhere to go



Explaining the problem, she said that defecating in open can spread disease and lead to intestinal infections, which ultimately contribute to stunting in young children.

“Open defecation is a major contributor to stunting and that’s why we’ve got to do all we can to stop it,” Gupta said.

After India and Indonesia, Pakistan is the third-largest country where people defecate in open due to lack of toilets.

Read: Lack of sanitation kills 40,000 children in Pakistan annually

Stunting means children don’t grow as tall as they would otherwise, and it also has an impact on a child’s brain development. Children with stunted growth are more vulnerable to diseases. In some case, stunted mothers give birth to stunted children.

Pakistan is working in coordination with Unicef to improve the sanitary situation in the country. The two are also working with communities to aid them in building toilets.

Read: Toilet facilities — a luxury for most Pakistanis

Gupta claimed that building more toilets would not only help in empowering women but it would also contribute to rising female enrollment in school.

The Unicef official added that if women have to walk long distances to find a private place to relieve themselves, they are more vulnerable and exposed to attack, adding that they are also unlikely to go to school if there are no toilets.

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

According to Mevlana Azad in his book "India Wins Her Freedom", insistence of Serdar Patel to get the Interior Ministry in the League-Congress coalition government, formed under the British Imperialists, caused the idea of a United India a pre-mature death!!! Not to mention the successful torpedoes fired from the Finance Ministry under Rahmet-li Liaket Ali Han toward the Patel's ship without a rudder!!!! Don't know about the Indian folks, but the Pak folks are duty bound to welcome all Gujrati leaders - dead or alive...

 

[Mugwop]

Successful Indians is developing India in to a world fastest one .

Why you cry like this ?
We know what we are doing .
And we know the Gujaratis when it comes to business

No offence but most successful indians pledge their loyalty to the country that granted them success.I know a lot of them.

I never posted a crying emoji

I don't think so after all that i accumulated

So do I!

Like it or not this statue is for self glory only and won't attract many tourists.

 

[SrNair]

No offence but most successful indians pledge their loyalty to the country that granted them success.I know a lot of them.

I never posted a crying emoji

I don't think so after all that i accumulated

So do I!

Like it or not this statue is for self glory only and won't attract many tourists.

What you have seen in there is just a fractional Indians only .
Their founding fathers is still in India .
Did you actually think our title as world fastest economy is just a coincidence ?

We are creating a unique, unparallel history in mankind by transforming from 0.1% GDP in 1947 with 99% poverty to 8.2% GDP with 21 % within the limitations of democracy.

Apart the favourable conditions our best resources is our human resources .
Example our Keralites itself no matter whereever they went and successful they will always have connection here .
People like Shashi Tharoor ,Raghuram Rajan ,Manmohan Singh every other NRI helped India .
Within decades we will create more infrastructure so that a lots of your successful will return to India like others .

How do you know that it wont be a success?
Well as an Indian I would say it would be hundred percent successful.
Everyone said the same when we begin ISRO and other tech fields

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

India does not get any tourism, Thailand, Vietnam gets more tourism than India,

We don't care and we don't want tourism. Did you hear? Else the authorities would have ensured that untoward incident wouldn't have happened with your wife. Would like to post video of how we show middle finger to tourists.

@Tshering22

 

[Tshering22]

India does not get any tourism, Thailand, Vietnam gets more tourism than India, keep showboating and in the meantime, 600 million people don't have 3 meals a day no sanitation etc.

Mate, we understand that Mumbai visit rubbed you off in the wrong way but seriously deriding the country on the basis of one bad incident is making you look really weak here.

Seriously, you should have just filed a complaint or simply beaten that pervert to a pulp. This whining is getting you nowhere here. Sure a few Pakistani members might join you for a couple of comments here and there, but then again you will only come off as a whiner, given the fact that you have also been going against Chinese members here.

We don't care and we don't want tourism. Did you hear? Else the authorities would have ensured that untoward incident wouldn't have happened with your wife. Would like to post video of how we show middle finger to tourists.

@Tshering22

Why have you tagged me?

Whatever happened with his girlfriend is something that can happen with any woman in even developed countries. Look at what UK had! Child grooming gangs being covered by local authorities and politicians! Who the fck does that?

Just because a few loser feminists are howling in India about crime doesn't make India the Somalia of women's crimes. Numbers speak better.