National
Congress to protest fuel price hike, to start signature campaign (Lead)
New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) The Congress on Friday demanded withdrawal of central excise duties and other taxes on petrol and diesel and said it will hold a demonstration at the Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday to press for this demand.
The party dared the government to come out with a White Paper on taxes on fuel and the gains made by oil marketing companies.
Congress Spokesperson Ajay Maken said the party’s Delhi unit will launch a campaign at petrol pumps across the city to protest against the fule price hikes and collect 10 lakh signatures, which will be submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Maken said that considering the fall in crude oil prices in the international market, the prices of petrol and diesel should be Rs 34 and Rs 32, respectively.
“While the Modi government has spelled out absurd reasons like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma for the increase in petrol and diesel prices, it has dealt a devastating blow to the savings of the common people by brazenly increasing central excise duty 11 times in the past three and half years,” Maken told the media here.
“There has been 133.47 per cent increase in excise duty on petrol and 400.86 per cent on diesel. There has also been an increase in Value Added Tax of 73.34 per cent on petrol and 91.31 per cent on diesel since May 2014 by the Delhi government,” he added.
“While the international crude oil prices have come down by more than 52 per cent since May 2014, when Modi government came to power, the petrol prices have skyrocketed to a three-year high.
“With massive hikes in central excise duty, the BJP-led government is filling its coffers at the cost of common man. The government has earned a windfall of around Rs 2.5 lakh crore due to reduction in crude oil prices,” Maken added.
“The total contribution of petroleum to central and state exchequers is pegged at Rs 5,24,304 crore in 2016-17,” he said.
Maken said the Modi government had also robbed 18.11 crore cooking gas consumers by increasing prices of subsidised cylinders by Rs 75 in three years — from Rs 412 per cylinder in May 2014 to Rs 487.18 per cylinder now.
“This is being done when the international prices of gas have gone down by 35 per cent in three years,” he said.
“The BJP government has not even spared the poorest of the poor. Kerosene prices have recorded a double-digit increase throughout this fiscal,” Maken added.
“In July, kerosene prices rose by 31.2 per cent and in August it recorded further increase of 2 per cent.”
Maken also hit out at the government for inflation which recorded a five-month high with Retail Inflation (CPI) rising to 3.36 per cent in August from a year earlier.
“The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) rose to a four-month high to 3.24 per cent from a year ago. This means food items like fruits and vegetables have become costlier, thus ruining our household budgets.
“Due to rise in fuel prices, it is natural that the cost of transportation and supply of food items increase, thereby impacting the savings of common people. Food inflation was driven by rising price trends of onion at 88.46 per cent, vegetables at 44.91 per cent, and fruits at 7.35 per cent, and milk at 3.94 per cent.”
–IANS
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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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