National
Mamata in north Bengal for all-party meet on Darjeeling hills
Darjeeling, Nov 20 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached north Bengal on Monday where she is scheduled to hold an all-party meeting on November 21 to discuss the situation in Darjeeling hills, a state minister said.
Banerjee would conduct the all-party meeting in the presence of Chief Secretary Malay De, state Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purkayastha and representatives of the local administrative bodies and representatives of the state government, in Darjeeling district’s Pintail village on Tuesday afternoon.
“The Chief Minister has reached north Bengal. She would hold the all-party meeting tomorrow (Tuesday). All major hill political parties including Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM), Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Jana Andolan Party (JAP) and Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) are expected to be present in the meeting,” state Tourism Minister and Trinamool Congress leader from north Bengal Gautam Deb told IANS.
Claiming the situation to be normal in the hills, Deb said they were expecting a “good and fruitful” meeting.
“The situation here is normal. The security arrangement for chief minister in the hills is as usual. No additional measures have been taken,” he said.
The Chief Minister would also hold administrative meetings for Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar — the three north Bengal districts — the next day at “Uttar-Kanya”, state’s administrative headquarters in north Bengal, the minister said.
This would be the fourth all-party meeting between the state and the hill parties since the discord over the demand that a separate state of Gorkhaland be curved out of the northern Bengal hills.
The government have so far rejected the demand of separate Gorkhaland but released Rs 500 crore and Rs 174 crore packages of in two tranches for the development of the region.
The northern West Bengal hills, including the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and a section of the Terai-Dooars region at the foothills of Darjeeling, had been on the boil for nearly four months over the statehood demand of Gorkhaland.
The Gorkha Janamukti Morcha spearheaded the agitation and conducted a 104-day shutdown in the hills that was eventually withdrawn on September 26 following an appeal from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
–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.