National
Supporters throng 10, Janpath on Sonia Gandhi’s birthday (Lead)
New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) Supporters thronged Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s residence to wish her on her 71st birthday on Saturday, on a day when the Congress and BJP locked horns in the first phase of the Gujarat elections, and days before she steps down to make way for her son Rahul Gandhi to take up the party’s top post.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wished the Congress leader, wishing her a long life.
“Birthday greetings to Congress President… I pray for her long life and good health,” Modi said in a tweet.
The Congress party also wished Gandhi. “Compassionate, hardworking, selfless. Calm and composed, yet dignified and strong. A force for empowerment against all odds.”
“A mother, a leader, a friend. Wishing Congress President Sonia Gandhi a very happy birthday,” a tweet from Congress’ official account said.
Several senior Congress leaders, and scores of supporters thronged her residence at 10, Janpath, with music and even dance troupes performing.
The senior Congress leaders who visited the party chief included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, among others.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat was even seen playing a drum, as dancers performed on the road outside 10, Janpath.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Union Ministers including Anand Sharma, Jyotiraditya Scindia and R.P.N. Singh, and party general secretaries including Janardan Dwivedi, Ambika Soni and Mohan Prakash were also present.
Congress’ students’ wing – National Students Union of India (NSUI) – carried out a ‘Tiranga March’ from India Gate to 24 Akbar Road, the national headquarter of Congress, to honour Sonia Gandhi.
The first phase of polling in the Gujarat Assembly elections was held on Saturday, with both ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress expressing confidence of winning the polls.
Rahul Gandhi, who is at present the Vice-President of the party, is set to take over as party President next week after his mother’s 19-year-long stint as party head. The Gujarat polls, where Rahul Gandhi has been Congress’ star campaigner, is being seen as a litmus test for the Gandhi scion.
Sonia Gandhi was born Sonia Maino to Stefano and Paola Maino on this day in 1946 in a small village near Vicenza, Italy.
She married Rajiv Gandhi in 1968. She took up Indian citizenship and began living with her mother-in-law, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, at the latter’s New Delhi residence.
She stepped in as the party President in 1998, seven years after her husband’s assassination. She has remained in office since.
–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.