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Note ban was money laundering exercise: Yechury

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New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) A day after the RBI revealed that 99 per cent of the scrapped currency notes came back into the system post-demonetisation, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday called the note ban a “money laundering exercise” and demanded that the government bring a “black paper” on the issue.

“All of the (demonetisation) exercise’s stated objectives have failed. Normally, we ask for a white paper on such issues but since Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is fight against black money, I think the government should bring a black paper on this,” Yechury said.

He asked whether the real motive of demonetisation was to save the banks — reeling under the burden of more than Rs 11 lakh crore of unpaid debts by big corporates — from collapsing.

Modi had on November 8 last year announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes to fight black money.

On Wednesday, the Reserve Bank of India, in its annual report, said that Rs 15.28 lakh crore of the Rs 15.44 lakh crore scrapped currency has come back after demonetisation.

“Reportedly, more than 100 per cent of demonetised currency is coming back after Bhutanese, Nepalese and Co-op banks’ currency is taken in. This shows it was a very, very successful money laundering scheme,” Yechury said.

He said there was no mention of digitisation on November 8, 2016, but as the economy crashed, the government went out of its way to help “certain selected private companies” under the mask of digitisation.

“The Prime Minister himself featured in a full-page advertisement of a private company (Paytm). Why? Clearly to give a profit bonanza to international and domestic players,” he alleged, adding that huge public money was wasted in full-page advertisements.

He said that the informal sector has crashed and as per data the sector, which employs more than two-thirds of country’s workforce, has collapsed due to demonetisation.

“Lives, livelihoods and jobs have been decimated. This government is responsible for this… Why were people imposed with a burden of printing new notes costing Rs 8,000 crore and ATM recalibration cost of over Rs 35,000 crore in addition to the loss of economic activity estimated by the CMIE and others to the tune of Rs 1,50,000 crore?” he asked.

Yechury said that the government “must fix accountability for this disaster and punish those responsible”.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.

The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.

Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.

Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.

For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.

During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.

Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.

Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .

Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.

In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.

In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.

He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.

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