The 2017 National Unity Day (NUD) celebrated on 31 October

The National Unity Day (NUD), also known as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (RED), is celebrated every year across India on October 31 to commemorate birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel, one of the founding leaders of Republic of India.
The day is observed to foster and reinforce the government’s dedication to preserve and strengthen unity of the nation. This year, in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Run For Unity’ in New Delhi to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
A large number of people, including sports personalities like Sardar Singh, Deepa Karmakar, Suresh Raina and Karnam Malleswari participated in the Run.