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India seen as most corrupt at WEF 20 years ago: Deve Gowda
By Bhavana Akella
Bengaluru, Jan 23 (IANS) Asserting that India has progressed manifold since his last visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland in 1997, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Tuesday said the country was perceived as “most corrupt” by other countries at the Forum during his period.
“When I visited the WEF in Davos as the Prime Minister, the atmosphere that prevailed there among other countries was that India was the most corrupt nation,” Gowda, who was the 11th Prime Minister of the country from 1996-97, told IANS here.
The Forum, back then, was not so “conducive” to investments in India as it currently is, he said.
“The country was facing a very tough time and was almost in debt-traps. Ever since then the country has progressed on many fronts — in terms of investments and economic conditions,” the 84-year-old national President of the Janata Dal (Secular) reiterated.
After Gowda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attended the Forum at Davos and addressed the plenary session.
But, with the economic situation of the country being “very different” today from that of two decades ago, one could not “compare” the two, the former Prime Minister insisted.
“When I had visited the WEF, I had taken the responsibility to personally assure investors that the corruption in the country would not impact their investments,” Gowda recalled, speaking to IANS.
Gowda had attended the WEF earlier in 1995 as well, during his time as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
“During that time, this Forum was a place where the developed, developing and under-developed countries came together to mingle and communicate with an aim of investments,” the Bengaluru-based political leader stated.
Gowda was sworn in as the Prime Minister in June 1996 to head a government formed by the coalition of 13 political parties like All India Indira Congress, Janata Dal and Samajwadi Party, among others, together named the United Front.
“The economic situation had not improved much in the country from the time I was a Chief Minister and had become the Prime Minister, as the government was formed through a coalition of parties,” he said.
It was “unfair” of any one political party to claim the credit for the country’s development, he remarked.
“There’s no doubt that the country has progressed during the regime of (former Prime Minister Atal Bihari) Vajpayee and now during the time of Narendra Modi. One cannot say it’s due to one single government.”
“It is Modi’s way of criticising other political party leaders by saying that all the progress has been made by his party,” he said.
India currently has the advantage of being a “stable government”, he admitted.
Modi had emphasised at Davos on Tuesday that investing, manufacturing and production in India was “easier than before” as the government had decided to “finish the red tape” and made investments simpler through Foreign Direct Investment.
“Last time when Deve Gowda ji had come to Davos in 1997, our GDP was little more than $400 billion. It has grown six-fold since then,” Modi said.
(Bhavana Akella can be contacted at [email protected])
–IANS
bha/ahm/bg
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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