National
Congress’ charge on Rafale deal politically motivated: Sitharaman (Lead)
New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) Rejecting the Congress’s allegations of irregularities in the Rafale fighter jet deal, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the government had to go for emergency procurement, adding it is cheaper than under an earlier unconcluded deal.
The Congress charges vis-a-vis the deal with France on the purchase of 36 Rafale jets was “politically motivated” and “shameful”, she told a press conference called after the opposition party alleged irregularities in the government-to-government deal.
Sitharaman accused the Congress of doing a “disservice” to the armed forces by failing to ink the deal even after decade-long negotiations when it was in power at the Centre.
“The decision to buy 36 Rafale jets was taken to address the urgent need of the IAF (Indian Air Force) because the earlier United Progressive Alliance government did not pay attention to defence preparedness of the armed forces… it (UPA) was indecisive for 10 years to address this critical necessity of fighters for the IAF,” the Minister said.
“The allegations are politically motivated since they are not able to find any corruption in this government,” she added.
“It is disappointing that a responsible opposition without checking facts can come out to say this,” she said.
Sitharaman said the National Democratic Alliance government went for “emergency” procurement of the fighter jets, adding that the deal it cut for 36 aircraft was “far better” than what the UPA “would have obtained for 126”.
Asked if it meant the price under the deal is lesser, she quipped: “Absolutely”. She however did not give any figures on the price.
“Comparison in the price is wrong. The price we arrived at is lesser. To bicker over price as though they served preparedness… it is shameful.”
Sitharaman said that the deal was signed after approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security and following all due processes.
“It is a baseless argument — not a single procedure has been violated. No procedure was violated,” she said.
Responding to opposition party’s charge, she said that a “transfer of technology” was not sought in this deal as it was not viable and it could have escalated the price.
“It is simple economics — when you are talk of buying 126 aircraft, asking for transfer of technology makes sense. When you are going for emergency procurement of 36, it does not make sense for transfer of technology to be included… there was no benefit from this transfer, the price would have increased and not reduced,” the Defence Minister said.
On the allegation that a private company benefited, the Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had no role in choosing a business delegation that went to Paris when the deal was announced.
“Who is on the delegation is not in the Prime Minister’s hands,” she said.
Sitharaman said that so far, no agreement on offsets has been signed under the deal.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, meanwhile, said on Friday that any agreement between private firms is independent of the government and the latter is not bound to buy what they make.
“We are trying to promote defence manufacturing through strategic partnerships. If any company ties with another private company, the government has no role to play. You can also tie up with someone under the FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) policy. The government has nothing to do with it,” Goyal said.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Friday criticised the previous Congress-led UPA government’s “irresponsible” attitude towards strengthening Indian defence forces.
“Can a party which ruled for five decades behave so irresponsibly? The Congress-led government cared the least to strengthen our forces and (was interested) more in commissions,” Rijiju said in a tweet.
The Congress has accused that the government negotiated an overpriced deal to buy 36 Rafale jets from France for Rs 58,000 crore, causing “insurmountable loss” of taxpayers’ money.
The Congress said the government had agreed to pay for each Rafale aircraft three times the price negotiated in 2012 by the then UPA government.
Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, on Thursday brushed aside the charges, saying the deal negotiated by the current government was “better than the one finalised by the then UPA government”.
“We have negotiated a better deal in the Rafale contract than what was in the MMRCA contract (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) finalised during the UPA rule… It is a cheaper deal,” he told reporters at the Adampur Air Force station near Jalandhar in Punjab.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
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.