Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged off eight trains that will connect the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadia with different parts of the country via video conferencing.

The eight trains will connect Kevadia to Varanasi, Dadar, Ahmedabad, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Rewa, Chennai and Pratapnagar, reports PTI. 

“This connectivity will be beneficial for tourists coming to see the Statue of Unity but it will also help in changing the lives of the tribal community of Kevadiya. It will bring new opportunities for job and self-employment,” PM Modi said.

On Saturday, the PM said, the Kevdiya railway station is India’s first with green building certification, and tweeted, “Now, more reason to visit the ‘Statue of Unity!’ This iconic Statue, a tribute to the great Sardar Patel is connected via railways to different regions of India.”

Several other railway-related projects were also inaugurated, including new station buildings of Kevadiya, Dabhoi and Chandod.

PM Modi also paid tribute to AIADMK founder and former Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran on his birth anniversary, saying, “One of the trains flagged off for Kevadia today originates at Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central Railway Station. It is a pleasant coincidence that today is the birth anniversary of MGR. His life was dedicated to the service of the poor.”