National
Bengal to have special Rs 100 cr fund to avoid farmers’ distress sale
Kolkata, Jan 31 (IANS) Criticising the Narendra Modi government’s demonetisation move, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra on Wednesday said the note ban move affected the agro-economy badly and he has set aside Rs 100 crore to avoid any distress sale of agricultural produce.
“With the excessive agricultural productions, the prices of agro commodities fall and farmers have no alternative but to sell their produce at lower prices. They face a financial crunch.
“In order to avoid the distress sale and ensure proper prices for farmers’ produce, the Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) proposed a special fund. I propose Rs 100 crore for this special fund,” he said while presenting the state budget for financial year 2018-19.
Mitra said that the agro economy depends on the cash driven transactions due to “lack of banking services in the rural areas” and it was “badly affected due to the centre’s demonetisation move”.
He also claimed the state ensured creation of 8.92 lakh employment opportunities in the state during the current fiscal, despite the demonetisation blow and unplanned implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) by the Centre.
In view of the upcoming Panchayat elections in the state, Mitra emphasised on agriculture and rural areas in his budget proposals though Banerjee claimed state budget focused only on “development agenda”.
Presenting a budget for 2018-19 sans any fresh taxes, he also proposed exemption on mutation fee in case of selling of farm land for agricultural activities, and increasing pension benefits for old agricultural workers.
Admitting that the tea industry was reeling under pressure, Mitra said the small tea growers were yet to come up from the hardship they had faced and in order to help the sector, proposed “full exemption” on the agricultural income taxes for tea gardens for the next two financial years.
Mitra also removed the education and other cess on the tea production.
To boost the real estate sector, particularly the housing segment, he proposed to reduce stamp duty fee by one per cent on the value of wealth worth Rs 40 lakh to Rs one crore.
“With the implementations of the proposals, the stamp duty fee on the value of wealth worth Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1 crore, will be five per cent in the rural areas from the existing stamp duty fee of six per cent while in the urban areas the same will be six per cent from the existing rate of seven per cent,” he said.
With the state has been spending Rs 1,200 crore annually for benefits of girls’ educations including the Kanyashree project, Mitra also proposed a new project – Rupashree – for assisting families with annual income less than Rs 1.5 lakh for the marriage of eligible women of these families.
“I allocate Rs 1,500 crore for the Rupashree project and with this project, six lakh families will be benefitted annually,” he said.
He also proposed a new pension scheme for disabled persons with the objective to provide monthly pension of Rs 1,000 for two lakh disabled persons and allocated Rs 250 crore for this scheme.
–IANS
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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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