Gujarat’s twin realities: Crores for Ektanagar, neglect for Narmada’s tribals

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (October 30) inaugurated projects worth Rs 1,140 crore at Ektanagar, the township built around the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Narmada district.

Since the 182-metre-tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was inaugurated in 2018, Modi has visited Ektanagar every year on October 31 to mark Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, Patel’s birth anniversary. This year, however, the celebrations are bigger — a week-long series of events commemorating the Iron Man’s 150th birth anniversary began with Thursday’s inauguration.

Also read | Unseasonal rains in Gujarat wreak havoc on crops; farmers grapple with major losses

The focus on Ektanagar is not new. Since its inception, the township has consistently attracted large-scale central and state funding. Built at a cost of around Rs 3,000 crore, the area, formerly known as Sadhu Bet, a Bhil tribal place of worship near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, has been transformed into a showcase of modern tourism. Land from 13 tribal villages was acquired to create the township, which now boasts four-lane roads, landscaped gardens, and a helipad.

Yet, this transformation stands in sharp contrast to the rest of Narmada district, one of Gujarat’s poorest and most neglected regions.

A steady stream of projects

The new projects include the Birsa Munda Tribal University, the second phase of the hospitality district, Vaman Vriksha Vatika, Satpuda Protection Wall, an e-bus charging depot with 25 electric buses, the Narmada Ghat Extension, Kaushalya Path, a walkway from Ekta Dwar to Shreshtha Bharat Bhavan, Phase-II of smart bus stops, a dam replica fountain, and staff quarters for the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) employees.

In just the last two years, Ektanagar alone has received projects worth over Rs 1,900 crore.

In February 2024, the Bhupendra Patel-led BJP government announced a new airport at Ektanagar, despite Vadodara airport being only 90 km away. Later, during the 2024 budget session, then Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai earmarked Rs 475 crore for tourism and maintenance in Ektanagar and Rs 100 crore for new roads. Of this, Rs 150 crore went toward developing the Statue of Unity complex and its infrastructure, while Rs 300 crore was set aside for a hospitality district.

Another Rs 25 crore was allocated for the Sardar Sarovar Dam Experience Centre.

In October 2024, Modi had inaugurated projects worth Rs 284 crore, including a walkway from the bus bay to the statue viewpoint, a sub-district hospital, solar panels, smart bus stops, and beautification works. The township also gained its own sewage treatment plant, fire brigade, Bonsai Park, and car parking facilities.

Over seven years, Ektanagar has been connected to the rest of India with eight train services, linking it to Delhi, Varanasi, Chennai, Dadar, Ahmedabad, Rewa and Pratapgarh, and a new highway that bypasses the district headquarters, Rajpipla.

‘The irony of Ektanagar’s prosperity’

For locals, this development boom feels distant. “The irony is that the government chose one of Narmada’s poorest areas to build a multi-crore tourist town,” Mahesh Vasava, a tribal rights activist, told The Federal. “Thirteen villages were acquired and renamed Kevadiya Colony, now Ektanagar, with six-lane roads and direct railway links. But in the rest of Narmada, women still die on their way to hospital because ambulances can’t reach them.”

Vasava says that while crores are being spent on beautifying Ektanagar, the rest of the district lacks even basic healthcare and education infrastructure. “There is not a single fully equipped government hospital in the entire district. Patients are referred to Vadodara, 90 km away,” he adds.

Narmada’s stark poverty indicators

Data supports these claims. According to the National Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023-24, Narmada’s poverty rate stands at 22.62%, the second highest in Gujarat after Dang (26.61%).

Also read | Why rollout of SIR has made Gujarat's Muslims and tribals anxious

The District Nutrition Profile (NITI Aayog, 2023-24) paints a grimmer picture. 23% of children under five are wasted, and 10% are severely wasted, while 53% of children are underweight. A staggering 93% of children under five are anaemic, up from 54% in 2016. 31% of women aged 15–49 are underweight. Anaemia among pregnant women has risen from 58% in 2016 to 76% in 2024; among non-pregnant women, from 55% to 75%.

The report also found that only 4% of children under five receive adequate food, while there is no available data on institutional births or maternal health coverage under state schemes.

Gaps in early childhood care

The deprivation extends to anganwadis, crucial for nutrition and early learning.

In March 2025, then State Education Minister Praful Panseria told the Assembly that 334 anganwadi centres in Narmada were either non-functional or operating from rented or makeshift spaces. Tenders for 37 new centres had received no bidders, while 90 centres were awaiting gram panchayat approvals and 10 had been stuck in land acquisition since 2015.

District Collector B. Joshi admitted that construction is slow due to Narmada’s hilly terrain. “Last year, 90 anganwadi centres were approved, and we are in the process of getting local permissions,” he said. “Apart from that, there are no new projects currently planned for the district.”

Health system in neglect

Narmada’s lone Civil Hospital in Rajpipla lacks adequate staff, doctors, and modern equipment.

“Most patients are referred to Vadodara,” says a doctor at Rajpipla Civil Hospital, pleading anonymity. “There’s just one operating room and minimal equipment. During COVID, we struggled with oxygen shortages and few doctors. The only time we saw extra staff was during a blood donation drive for the Prime Minister’s birthday,” the doctor adds wryly.

The district’s community health centres at Mozda, Tilakwada, Sagbara and Dediapada face similar shortages. Despite repeated requests, vacancies for doctors and nurses remain unfilled.

From tribal land to tourist capital

After acquiring land from 13 tribal villages, the Gujarat government built the township around the statue and carved out a separate administrative post – Chief Administrator, Kevadiya Colony – effectively placing it outside Narmada’s district administration.

Also read | Women MLAs struggle to break glass ceiling as Gujarat BJP keeps clipping wings

In just a few years, Kevadiya, now renamed Ektanagar, has transformed into a gleaming tourism hub with four-lane roads, a helipad, guest houses, manicured gardens, and smart buses — a showcase of Gujarat’s development model.

Yet, for much of Narmada’s 87% tribal population, this prosperity remains out of reach. Beyond Ektanagar’s solar parks and hotels lie villages still waiting for basic healthcare, schools, and all-weather roads.

“The government has turned a tribal belt into a tourist spectacle, but for most locals, vikas (development) remains a distant dream,” said Vasava.