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Delhi assembly’s panel to look into Metro fare hike

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New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) On a day the Delhi Metro fare hike came into force, the Delhi assembly on Tuesday decided to set up a nine-member committee to look into the rationale behind the increase.

Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel will nominate members to the committee, which will also look into the “financial health of DMRC and other issues”.

The decision to appoint the committee was taken at the end of a discussion on the hike.

AAP leader and former Delhi Minister Somnath Bharti moved a proposal on the committee in the house, which was agreed to by other members. The ruling AAP has 66 members in the 70-member assembly, with remaining four members belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) put into effect the fare hike — second this year after an increase in May — from Tuesday despite strong opposition from the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi.

Speaking during the discussion in the house, AAP MLAs dubbed the hike as a “conspiracy to help cab aggregators like Ola and Uber”.

AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha initiated the discussion and said they were ready to protest and do everything possible to force reversal of the fare hike.

His party colleague Saurabh Bharadwaj termed the hike a “conspiracy to help cab aggregator Ola”.

“Compared with the current Metro fare, Ola Share is cheaper now,” he said.

He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken excessive interest in Ola in the past and even praised one of their drivers on Twitter.

On Monday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the fares will be increased so that cab aggregators Ola and Uber are cheaper and people give up using Metro services.

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and other MLAs also voiced similar views.

AAP MLA Alka Lamba dubbed Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and central government as “dictatorial” and said her party will hit the streets and force the Centre to reverse the fare hike.

Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the hike was a conspiracy to increase congestion on Delhi roads and create more problems rather than solving anything.

He said the AAP goverment had halved the airport Metro fares, after which fare collections from the route had doubled.

The Minister said the DMRC should focus on real estate development as many DMRC multistoreyed buildings were lying vacant.

Jain said Delhi Metro was a “social venture” to end congestion on Delhi roads and not a business venture.

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sat on the Fare Fixation Committee report on fare hike for four months and acted only at the last moment, claiming he was helping Ola and Uber.

He said the Delhi government was intentionally delaying Phase IV of Delhi Metro to help these cab aggregators.

–IANS
nkh/tsb/dg

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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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