Current Affairs

National Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) 2026 – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 151st birth anniversary, 31 Oct

30 October 2026 · English Important Days

National Unity Day (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) 2026 – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 151st birth anniversary, 31 Oct

Topics: Important Days · 30 October 2026 Current Affairs (UPSC / TNPSC / SSC / RRB)

News

National Unity Day marks the 151st birth anniversary (31 Oct 2026) of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. Celebrations are held on 30–31 Oct near the 'Statue of Unity' at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Gujarat; PM Narendra Modi will attend and address the National Unity Parade on 31 Oct – about 10,000 police and paramilitary personnel, 4,700 artists and an IAF flypast. 'Bharat Parv 2026' runs 29 Oct – 15 Nov. 'Run for Unity' events and the unity pledge are held across the country.

Key facts

Born31 Oct 1875 – Nadiad (Gujarat); died 15 Dec 1950, Bombay
DayNational Unity Day – since 2014 (Union Government)
Statue of Unity182 m – world's tallest statue; Sadhu Bet island, Narmada river; unveiled 31 Oct 2018; sculptor Ram V. Sutar
Titles'Iron Man of India'; 'Patron Saint of civil servants'; Bharat Ratna – 1991 (posthumous)
2026 eventEkta Nagar 30–31 Oct; National Unity Parade 31 Oct (PM); Bharat Parv 29 Oct – 15 Nov
FeatIntegrated more than 560 princely states into the Indian Union

Background

  • Freedom struggle: Kheda Satyagraha (1918) – peasants' struggle with Gandhi. Bardoli Satyagraha (1928) – against a land-revenue hike; after its success the women of Bardoli gave him the title 'Sardar' (leader). Presided over the 1931 Karachi Congress session.
  • Polity: in the Constituent Assembly he chaired the 'Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal & Excluded Areas' and the 'Provincial Constitution Committee'. (Drafting – Ambedkar; Union Powers – Nehru; Steering – Rajendra Prasad.) He championed the All India Services (IAS, IPS).
  • Integration: as Home Minister, with V.P. Menon, he brought the princely states in through the Instrument of Accession; Hyderabad – 'Operation Polo' police action, 1948.
  • Geography: the Statue of Unity stands at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Narmada district, Gujarat, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam; the Narmada flows west between the Satpura and Vindhya ranges. Built by L&T (2018).

Tamil Nadu link: Pudukkottai State, ruled by the Tondaiman kings in present-day Tamil Nadu, merged with the Indian Union in 1948 (last ruler Rajagopala Tondaiman); today it is Pudukkottai district.

Source: DeshGujarat, 28 Sep 2026; Business Standard (2014); Bharatpedia (Pudukkottai State)

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