The government of Madhya Pradesh has announced that a Rs 2,000 crore initiative to build a 108-foot tall statue of religious leader and philosopher Adi Shankara, or Shankaracharya, as well as an international museum in the state.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spoke at a meeting of the Acharya Shankar Sanskritik Ekta Nyas' Board of Trustees last week to discuss the project. The conference was attended by prominent saints and trust members, including Swami Avedhashanand Giri Ji Maharaj.
The idea has been questioned by the opposition Congress, which has stated that it will only examine it once money are granted in the state budget. The party has also raised concerns about the state's large indebtedness.
The idea to build a 108-foot multi-metal statue of Adi Shankara Museum and International Vedanta Sansthan at Omkareshwar, according to the Chief Minister, will connect the state with the rest of the globe, according to an NDTV report.
The statue, dubbed the Statue of Oneness, would stand 108 feet tall and be mounted on a 54-foot-high platform. On the Mandhata mountain, the statue and the Shankar Museum will be built on a 7.5-hectare plot. On the other side of the Narmada river, a 5-hectare gurukulam will be built, and a 10-hectare Acharya Shankar International Advaita Vedanta Sansthan will be built.
The installation of Shankaracharya's statue at Omkareshwar, according to Chouhan, is an endeavour to bring practical Vedanta to life. "The goal is to make the entire planet into one big family. The state government will put members of the trust's proposals into action, and work will be done quickly to complete the full action plan "he stated.
It should not be taken seriously, said Kamal Nath, the Leader of the Opposition. "We'll talk about it when the money for the project is given in the budget," he said.
This expenditure on a statute occurs at a time when the state's debt exceeds its budgetary allocation. The state's budget is Rs 2.41 lakh crore, yet it owes Rs 2.56 lakh crore in debt. The state's per capita debt is roughly Rs 34,000.
A white paper on debt has been requested by Congress. Jitu Patwari, a former minister and senior Congress politician, stated, "The state already owes Rs 2.56 lakh crore in debt, yet the Shivraj government continues to take loans on various pretexts. It has now opted to borrow a Rs 48,000 crore loan. The state government should publish a white report on its financial situation."
The announcement also comes as a standing rabi or winter crop stretched across hundreds of acres in 18 districts of the state was devastated on Friday evening after the state was hit by a hailstorm and heavy rains. After unseasonal rain devastated his crops in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri area, a farmer was seen in a video falling at the feet of former MLA Mahendra Singh Yadav. In Ashok Nagar, ruling BJP MLA Jajpal Singh warned farmers that if there are "irregularities in payments," he "would quit and protest."
Officials from the revenue and agriculture departments are examining the affected villages, according to Madhya Pradesh Agriculture Minister Kamal Patel. Farmers will receive 25 per cent of the settlement money right away, he said.
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