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Punjab minister’s resignation accepted, Amarinder takes charge of portfolios (Lead)

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7 years ago

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Chandigarh, Jan 18 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday accepted the resignation of Power and Irrigation Minister Rana Gurjit Singh from the Council of Ministers.

The Chief Minister forwarded the resignation to Punjab Governor V.P. Singh Badnore for necessary action, while taking over the crucial portfolios himself.

“Captain Amarinder has taken charge of Rana Gurjit’s portfolios for the time being,” said a spokesperson for the Chief Minister.

After dilly-dallying over it for days, the Congress on Thursday accepted the resignation of the controversial cabinet minister, who was facing allegations of corruption and money laundering.

Amarinder Singh, who met Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Thursday, confirmed that Rana Gurjit’s resignation had been accepted.

“His resignation has been accepted (by the Congress president),” Amarinder Singh, who visibly looked upset by the development, told media in New Delhi.

The Chief Minister said he had discussed the issue of the resignation, which the minister had submitted 10 days ago, with Gandhi and then decided to accept the same. Congress sources said the party high command was adamant that Rana Gurjit had to go.

“In his resignation, Rana Gurjit had said that though he had not been associated with his family business for the past 10 years, the controversy surrounding it in recent months had left him with no option but to tender his resignation in the interest of his party. He did not want the issue to mar the good work done by the Congress government in Punjab and had, in the bigger interest of his party and government, chosen to step down,” Amarinder Singh said.

Rana Gurjit said on Thursday that he accepted the decision of the party high command and the Chief Minister with all humility.

“I have always been a Congressman and will die as a Congressman only,” he said while interacting with reporters after his resignation was accepted.

Asserting that he had submitted his resignation on “moral grounds”, he maintained that his stand will soon be vindicated and eventually the truth shall prevail.”Truth cannot be suppressed for long, no matter how strongly and repeatedly a lie may be told,” he said while adding that he had not committed any wrong or any illegal act.

Considered one of the most powerful ministers in Punjab and a close aide of Amarinder Singh, Rana Gurjit, a billionaire businessman with business interests in liquor and sugar manufacturing, had courted controversies in the past few months in the multi-crore sand mining auction done in the 10-month-old Amarinder Singh government.

People associated with Rana Gurjit and his companies, including his former cook, had bagged multi-crore rupee sand mining contracts in May last year. It was alleged that these people were just fronts for the minister and his companies and the sand mining contracts were picked up through the ‘benami’ (proxy) route.

Rana Gurjit was facing much pressure to quit despite a one-man commission headed by retired Justice J.S. Narang giving him a clean chit.

The Chief Minister had been defending him despite the corruption controversies. Rana Gurjit’s son Inder Pratap Singh was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday in Jalandhar over allegations of raising Rs 100 crore abroad without taking permission from the Reserve Bank of India.

The Aam Aadmi Party and Shiromani Akali Dal, who were seeking the resignation of Rana Gurjit following the allegations of corruption and conflict of interest against him, on Thursday demanded that he be booked for corruption and that all sand mining auctions be cancelled.

AAP leader and Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira welcomed the resignation and said that many more skeletons would tumble out of the closet of the Congress government in Punjab.

–IANS
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Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok

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2 months ago

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September 19, 2024

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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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