Ahmedabad, December 23: The Gujarat government on Wednesday sanctioned manpower of 313 employees for the newly constituted development authority for the area around the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Narmada district.

The General Administration Department under Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has approved 313 personnel to manage the 182-meter statue and other tourist attractions, said an official release. Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity Named as 'Eighth Wonder of World'? Here's a Fact-Check.

Last December the Gujarat Assembly passed a blill for setting up a separate authority for the management of the Statue and surrounding areas. In February, the Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority was set up.

The administration will be headed by a Chief Executive Officer and two additional collector-level officers. Projects which are currently managed by the Gujarat Forest Department, such as Jungle Safari and Valley of Flowers, have also been brought under the Authority.

The release added that the state government has allocated a budget of Rs 50 crore for the Authority.

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