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Governments cannot act like commercial entities: Jaitley

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New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday said the government cannot act like a commercial entity even when it comes to the “commercial activities of the State”, and cannot just “pick and choose” in matters of public procurement.

He said a “pick and choose” system could not only lead to unfairness, but at times, it could also lead to “very serious allegations of corruption and nepotism”.

“From a concept which existed decades ago that the State was free to act as any other commercial entity was free to act, we’ve now moved to the other end of spectrum where the State can only act in a particular manner when it comes to public procurement,” Jaitley said at the South Asian Regional Procurement Conference here.

He said when it comes to matters of procurement, awarding contracts, and even public-private contracts, there has to be procedural fairness that the governments have to follow.

“Now this procedural fairness would also ensure that it could eliminate all elements of nepotism, favouritism. No accusing fingers would be cast.

“It would ensure transparency and would also ensure that the State is able to manage for its citizens the best price and the best quality in terms of its procurement, which in turn would turn to best pool of services it gave to its own citizens,” Jaitley said.

He said while there was a time when it was perceived that the State was going to be no different than from other commercial entities when it came to commercial activities of the State, but things changed due to interplay of norms of civility and fairness.

This interplay led to a new belief across the world that State action had to be different, he said.

“Every State action had to be dictated by norms of fairness and had to have an element of transparency. It had to be dictated by reasons which had to be relevant, cogent and rational.”

–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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