Saxena, 64, will succeed Anil Baijal who resigned from the post last week citing "personal reasons".
The 182-metre statue of Vallabhbhai Patel will be dedicated to the nation on his birth anniversary in Narmada District of Gujarat.
The foundation stone of the dam was laid on April 5, 1961 by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. However, it took 56 years to complete its construction.
Hindu temples are also coming up in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, the prime minister told the gathering.
Modi, who turned 67, unveiled the plaque dedicating the dam to the nation.
The state government had earlier said the 182-metre tall statue will be inaugurated on Sardar Patel's birth anniversary on October 31 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Experts identify two major advantages in building solar plants atop canals: efficient and cheap land use, and reduced water evaporation from the channels underneath
About 72 villages in Bharuch and Vadodara districts, located downstream near the banks of river Narmada have been alerted as water levels are expected to rise due to heavy inflow of water from Madhya Pradesh.
The police stopped Patkar and informed her that she could not proceed to Dhar, but as she refused to relent, she was placed under arrest.
All of them, including Patkar, were taken to hospitals by the administration, police said.
According to government officials, the Indian arm of Turner Project Management, which worked on the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa of Dubai, is consultant for the project and construction management.
Three national highways in Kutch, Navsari and Dang districts were blocked due to damage caused by rains. Fifty one state highways and over 400 panchayat roads have also been damaged, state Disaster Management Minister Rajendra Trivedi told reporters.
Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar on Monday trained her guns on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and slammed his government for "committing excesses" on tribals, who have lost their land to the Sardar Sarovar Project in the state.
Medha Patkar was on Monday arrested when she tried to stage a demonstration outside the Secretariat in Mumbai demanding implementation of rehabilitation package for people in Maharashtra affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project.
"We are relocating these crocodiles just for the safety of tourists. There is no specific instruction to us about any seaplane service" an official said.
The Sensex ended above 27,000 for the first time while the Nifty topped 8,100.
The NBA has received no response from the PMO after the fact-finding mission.
Patkar said she expected some concrete action from the Centre on the Narmada Bachao Andolan's demand for rehabilitation of the project-affected people and reversal of the decision to raise the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam.
After the public spat over the legacy of Sardar Patel between Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Modi will lay the foundation stone for the statue on Thursday.
Bhagwatibai Patidar, who had began her fast with Patkar, continued to refuse food for the 10th day today.
Unrelenting in her demand that work on the Sardar Sarovar Dam should be halted immediately, Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar's indefinite fast entered the eighth day Wednesday.
The plea was to stop constructionn work to raise the dam's height.
Mirza was in Rajkot on Sunday for a function where she told reporters that she supported Aamir's stand on the dam.
Two more NBA activists - Jamsing Nargavekar and Bhagwati Patidar - who too had been on fast with Patkar, also ended their strike.
Six out of 11 Narmada Bachao Andolan activists called off their hunger strike following an appeal by their leader Medha Patkar who, however, is continuing with her fast.
Patkar vomited on the fifth day of her indefinite fast, but refused any medical check-up when a government doctor's team met her.
Later, a delegation led by Patkar and comprising social activists Praful Bidwai and Swami Agnivesh met Kumar. But unsatisfied with her reply, the demonstrators refused to leave the premises till they got a "final answer".
In his address, Modi stressed on conserving water and remembered his days as Gujarat chief minister when people did not understood his vision to bring transformation in agriculture sector.
Vinai Kumar Saxena's current job as lieutenant governor of an Opposition-ruled state will raise the bar -- not just for him, but also for the Aam Aadmi Party government, which never says no to a fight with the representative of the central government in India's capital.
Over 29 lakh tourists visited the Statue of Unity, located near the Sardar Sarovar Dam, since it was inaugurated and this generated a revenue of Rs 82.51 crore, the government had told the assembly in December last year
Among the 121 villages declared 'partially scarcity-hit', 58 are in Kutch, 52 in Banaskantha district in north Gujarat and 11 in Jamnagar district in Saurashtra region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday dedicated to the nation the 182-metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the tallest in the world, and said it will be a reminder about the courage of a man who thwarted efforts to disintegrate India.
Hemant Shivsaran lists the number of projects the Modi government has announced since August to woo Gujarat voters.
The Statue of Unity, touted as the world's tallest statue, will be nearly twice as tall as New York's famed Statue of Liberty. Check out all that you need to know about India's tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Shah said the people of Gujarat would seek an answer from Congress in December, when the state goes to polls.
The Rs 1,989 crore statue being built to honour Sardar Vallabhai Patel has taken 3,000 labourers nearly 5 years to complete.
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