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Sports was neglected by Left Front government: Mamata

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Kolkata, Jan 24 (IANS) Taking a dig at the erstwhile Left Front government in West Bengal for “creating debt burden” for the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the Sports Department was “neglected” with inadequate budgetary provisions.

“We are repaying Rs 48,000 crore for the loan that was taken by the earlier government and inherited by us. They had borrowed maximum amount in 2006-07 including private loans. We have to repay this loan after the maturity of the 10-year term loan.

“In 2011, we had repaid Rs 25,000 crore, Rs 28,000 crore in 2012-13 and Rs 30,000 crore in 2013-14. The repayment amount was Rs 30,000-35,000 crore in 2014-15. The quantum of repayment was Rs 45,000 crore in 2016-17 and subsequently Rs 48,000 crore in 2017-18,” she said at an event organised by the Sports and Youth Affairs Department.

She claimed the department had a budget of Rs 74 crore until her party Trinamool Congress came to power.

“The same has now been increased by about six times to Rs 477 crore. I do not know why it was neglected,” she said.

Banerjee also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre of slowing down the country’s economy by undertaking demonetisation and implementing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) without proper preparedness.

“Along with debt burden, these were big blows,” she said, adding that no goals were realised and two per cent of the GDP was lost.

She said her government had spent Rs 600 crore to fund local clubs for improving sports infrastructure in their locality.

“We have given Rs two lakh in the first tranche to each club and Rs one lakh per year for the period of next three years. So, Rs five lakh was given to each club to improve their infrastructure for promotion of sports. Our government has already spent Rs 600 crore for this purpose,” she said.

Elaborating on the state’s sports infrastructure, she said the state was able to organise the quarter final, semi-final and finals of the U-17 World Cup.

“FIFA recognised Yuva Bharati Krirangan as one of the best arenas in the world. We have requested them to organise the U-19 World Cup here (in India). If they assign us A to Z, we will be able to do that. Mentally, we are ready to host the event,” she said.

Banerjee also mulled over a provision in the existing state sports policy to nurture talent across the various disciplines of sports and asked officials to offer the Swasthya Sathi scheme, a health insurance cover, to retired and veteran sports personalities.

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

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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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