Unveiling of Green Revolution Pioneer Vasantrao Naik’s Statue by Union Home Minister Amit ShahChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Attends as Chief Guest

Nanded : Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today unveiled the life-size statue and beautification project of the late Vasantrao Naik, hailed as the father of India’s Green Revolution and former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The ceremony took place at the Late Vasantrao Naik Chowk in Nanded city, with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis attending as the chief guest.

The event was also graced by Atul Save, Minister for Other Backward Classes Welfare, Dairy Development, and Non-Conventional Energy, who also serves as the Guardian Minister of Nanded; Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule; Animal Husbandry Minister Pankaja Munde; Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Meghna Bordikar; MP Ashok Chavan; Hemant Patil, MLC and Chairperson of the Balasaheb Thackeray Turmeric Research and Training Center; MLAs Balaji Kalyankar, Babusingh Maharaj Rathod, Baburao Kadam, Shreejaya Chavan; District Collector Rahul Kardile; Superintendent of Police Abhinash Kumar; CEO of Zilla Parishad Meghna Kawale; and Nanded Municipal Commissioner Dr. Maheshkumar Doifode, among others.

The ceremony began with floral tributes to Vasantrao Naik by Union Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. This was followed by the unveiling of the statue and commemorative plaque by Mr. Shah. Representatives of the Banjara community honored both dignitaries with a traditional welcome, with a large number of community members in attendance.

The life-size statue of Vasantrao Naik, standing 9 feet tall and weighing approximately 700 kg, has been installed by the Nanded-Waghala City Municipal Corporation at the Vasantrao Naik Chowk. The statue was constructed at a cost of ₹13.99 lakh and covers an area of 232.60 square meters. The beautification work around the statue is estimated to cost an additional ₹69 lakh.