National
India committed to ‘Festival of Honesty’: Jaitley
New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday made a veiled attack on the Congress in his Budget speech, saying that India was facing “policy paralysis and corruption” when the NDA assumed office and now the situation has reversed with the Modi government implementing a series of fundamental structural reforms.
“There was a time when corruption was commonplace,” he said, adding that the people, especially the youth, are keen to “lead their lives honestly”. He said the government is capable of taking difficult decisions and restoring strong performance of the Indian economy.
He said the reforms undertaken by the government have resulted in raising the Foreign Direct Investment and made it easier to do business in the country.
Natural resources are now allocated in a transparent and honest manner, the indirect tax system Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been made simpler, and benefits to the poor have been targeted more effectively with use of digital technology, he said.
The demonetization of high value currency has reduced the quantum of cash currency and circulation in India. It has increased the taxation base and spurred greater digitization of the economy, Jaitley said, adding that “honest taxpayers took demonetisation as imandari ka utsav” (festival of honesty).
Jaitley said the government did not weigh the political costs while executing the several anti-corruption measures, including The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) that changed the lender-debtor relationship and the Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) that ensured benefits reached the doorsteps of the people directly reducing corruption and cost of delivery.
Talking about another concern of the poor, the Finance Minister said, “Far from the Benami properties earned by corruption, the poor only desire to have a roof, a small house by his earning of honesty.”
The government has fixed a target that every poor of the country would have a house by 2022. Under Prime Minister Awas Scheme Rural, 51 lakh houses in year 2017-18 and 51 lakh houses during 2018-19 will be constructed exclusively in rural areas. In urban areas the assistance has been sanctioned to construct 37 lakh houses.
The government’s e-governance initiative includes a web-based Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), which is administered by Controller General of Accounts, for budgeting, accounting, expenditure and cash management for all ministries and departments.
A Central Public Procurement Portal, which provides a single point access for all information on procurement, was used to invite over one lakh tenders valued at around Rs 2.40 lakh crore in November 2017 alone.
The government has also proposed to amend the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 to rationalise the designations of authorities competent to grant approval for penalty and prosecution.
Jaitley said there has been huge increase in the number of returns filed by taxpayers. In financial year 2016-17, 85.51 lakh new taxpayers filed their returns of income as against 66.26 lakh in the immediately preceding year.
“We are enthused by this success of our measures and we pledge to continue to take all such measures in future by which the black money is contained and the honest taxpayers are rewarded.”
–IANS
manish/rn
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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