President Pranab Mukherjee will lay the foundation of the 213-meter Sri Krishna temple in Vrindavan on November 16, which backers say will be the world's tallest. Construction work has already begun on the piling for the pillars of the Chandrodaya Mandir, using the latest technology. The chief project director Bharat Prabhu, who keeps shuttling between Vrindavan and Bangalore, said "The US $49 million project...will take five years. We are using the world's latest technology and engineering processes to ensure a minimum life of 500 years for the gigantic structure that will go a long way to promote and nourish Sri Krishna consciousness, especially among the youth. The project is conceptualized and is being executed by ISKCON from Bangalore, which is partnering with Akshaya Patra, the world's largest non-governmental organization (NGO), which runs midday meal programs in the country feeding over a million school children every day. Prabhu said "this is a culturally and socially driven project which aims to put Vrindavan and India on the world map of iconic heritage structures. The project also employs many technologically innovative solutions to ensure environmental sustainability." This grand temple will harmoniously combine elements of both Indian temple architecture and modern architecture. A look-alike of the verdant forests of Vrindavan, consisting of twelve forests, will be recreated around the temple. Water from the Yamuna will be lifted and pumped to the meandering rivulet that will allow for boating and support aquatic life particular to the Braj area.

India has pledged to build the world's most powerful solar plant. With a nominal capacity of 4,000 megawatts, comparable to that of four full-size nuclear reactors, the "Ultra-Mega Green Solar Power Project" will be more than ten times larger than any other solar project built so far, and it will spread over 77 square kilometers of land - greater than the island of Manhattan. The first phase of the project, which will be for 1,000 megawatt capacity, is expected to be completed in three years. Six state-owned companies have formed a joint venture to execute the project, which they say can be completed in 7 years at a projected cost of US$ 4.4 billion. The proposed location is near Sambhar Salt Lake in the northern state of Rajasthan. The solar photovoltaic power plant will have an estimated life of 25 years and is expected to supply 6.4 billion kilowatt-hours per year, according to official figures. It could help to reduce India's carbon dioxide emissions by more than 4 million tons per year, estimates Parimita Mohanty, a fellow at the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi. India currently has a grid-connected solar-power capacity of 2,208 MW - up from a mere 17.8 MW in 2010, when the central government launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM). The JNNSM aims for India to reach an installed capacity of 20,000 MW (or 20 gig watts) of solar power by 2022.

Work has begun in India on what is billed as the "world's tallest statue" after Chief Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in the western state of Gujarat. The statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's independence heroes, is being erected on a river island. At 182 meter, it would be twice as high as New York's Statue of Liberty. But critics say the statue's US$ 336 million price tag is much too expensive. The memorial would be called the "Statue of Unity". Officials say the statue is expected to be ready in 42 months. Sardar Patel, generally called the "Iron Man of India", played a major role in the country's fight for independence from British rule. Currently world's highest statue located in China. The 153 meters tall Buddha Vairocana statue was built in 2002. On the second place is 129 meters tall Sakyamuni Buddah statue in Myanmar and on the third place is 120 meters tall Amitabha Buddha statue in Japan.