Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Narmada district on the occasion of the freedom fighter and India’s first Deputy Prime Minister’s 151st birth anniversary.

The tribute at the world’s tallest statue marked the beginning of the day’s Rashtriya Ekta Diwas programme at Ekta Nagar, where the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects with a combined outlay of Rs 426.71 crore.

Of these, 23 projects worth Rs 307.83 crore are to be inaugurated, while foundation stones will be laid for eight projects worth Rs 118.88 crore.

The projects are aimed at improving tourist facilities and infrastructure in the Statue of Unity area.

Among the major attractions to be inaugurated are an IRCTC hotel built at a cost of Rs 50 crore, an Ekta Cruise costing Rs 16 crore, a Rain Forest project worth Rs 14.30 crore and an Eco Trail worth Rs 3.67 crore.

The infrastructure package also includes a sewage treatment plant, a water treatment plant, travelators to facilitate visitor movement, a parade track, staff quarters, road improvements and facade lighting within the Statue of Unity campus.

The upgraded Shoolpaneshwar Narmada Ghat and the development of Ekta Prakash Parv are also part of the projects.

The foundation stones will be laid for the Gora-Bhanadra Road, a smart zero-waste integrated solid waste management project, Khalwani Eco-Tourism and an integrated Cactus and Butterfly Garden.

The works also include the development of Khalwani Bridge, widening of Vaghadia Road and construction of a disaster control room for the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

PM Modi is also scheduled to visit the Rain Forest and Vaman Vriksha Vatika during the day before attending the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at around 5:30 p.m.

The evening programme will feature the Ekta Parade, with contingents from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), state police forces and central police organisations.

This year’s parade will highlight the role of security forces in tackling Left-Wing Extremism and the transformation of affected areas.

A theatrical presentation on ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat’, organised by the National School of Drama, will feature around 2,000 artistes from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism.

Tableaux and cultural performances will be centred on the theme ‘Vande Mataram’, while a larger cultural presentation involving around 5,000 artistes from across the country will showcase India’s diverse artistic traditions.

The Prime Minister arrived in Ekta Nagar on Friday after a visit to Banaskantha. During his stay, he inaugurated ‘Bharat Parv 2026’, a cultural festival showcasing the traditions, folk performances, regional cuisines, handicrafts and tourism offerings of states and Union Territories.

The festival will continue until November 15. He also visited ‘Ekta Prakash Parv-2026’, an illumination festival featuring displays representing the cultural heritage of North, East, West and South India.

The festival includes a 530-metre illuminated stretch along Valley of Flowers Road and a 180-metre Glow Tunnel, with more than 1.5 crore LED lights used across the displays.

The two-day visit coincides with the 151st birth anniversary of Patel, whose role in the integration of princely states after Independence is commemorated through the annual Rashtriya Ekta Diwas observance.

A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1.43 lakh on him, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Saturday.

The Special Judge, POCSO Act, Mathura, convicted accused Shyam Bihari on October 30 for multiple offences under the POCSO Act, 2012, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. The offences included rape, aggravated penetrative sexual assault, using a child for pornographic purposes and storing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

According to the CBI, the agency registered the case on June 17, 2025, against Shyam Bihari following allegations of collecting, transmitting and publishing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitative Material (CSAEM) in electronic form.

During the investigation, it emerged that the accused had also committed aggravated penetrative sexual assault against a minor girl. The CBI traced the victim and conducted the investigation with due sensitivity, keeping her safety, dignity and emotional well-being in mind.

The agency said appropriate counselling support was provided to the victim, while close coordination was maintained with forensic experts, medical professionals specialising in child sexual abuse cases and child protection authorities.

Special care was also taken during the collection, handling and preservation of digital evidence to ensure that the material was properly secured.

After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet against the accused on August 14, 2025. The trial court framed charges on October 16, 2025.

Following the trial, the court found Shyam Bihari guilty of multiple offences, including aggravated penetrative sexual assault against a minor girl, sexual abuse, using a child for pornographic purposes and possessing CSAEM.

The court subsequently awarded him life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1.43 lakh for the offences under the POCSO Act, IPC and IT Act.

The CBI reiterated its commitment to investigating and prosecuting cases involving child sexual abuse and exploitation, stating that such offences are accorded high priority, with due regard to the safety, rights and dignity of children.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday expressed grief over the deaths of six people in a helicopter crash near Chai village close to Joshimath in Uttarakhand, while on its way from Badrinath to Sahastradhara.

The victims include the pilot of the helicopter.

Taking to X, the Congress leader said: “The news of the death of six people in the helicopter crash in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, is deeply saddening.”

“May God grant peace to the departed souls. My heartfelt condolences are with the bereaved families. May the Almighty give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” she added.

Earlier in the day, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat also condoled the loss of life in the incident, while seeking an inquiry into the repeated aviation disasters that have rocked the state in recent times.

Speaking to reporters in Dehradun, Rawat said: “This is deeply painful…Along with making our helicopter services competitive, we also need to make them safe and secure. An inquiry will be conducted and improvements will be made based on the probe but this is extremely necessary because one after another, such incidents are happening which are alarming.”

Meanwhile, the bodies of all six individuals, including the pilot, have been recovered from the crash site by joint teams of the Uttarakhand Police, the State Disaster Response Force, and the Army, which swung into action for rescue and recovery operations after receiving the news of the accident.

The operation to transport all the bodies from the difficult-to-access crash site to a location connected by road was underway, officials said.

The pilot of the helicopter was identified as Capt. Himanshu Sabharwal, who hailed from Delhi, while the passengers were Prathapa, Arun, Shankar Gowda, Sudheer K., and H.S. Natraja, all from Karnataka, police said.

According to official information, Gowda was an advocate, while Nataraja ran a poultry business in Karnataka’s Huliyurdurga.

There were no women or children on board the helicopter, officials said.