National
Gujarat presents revenue surplus budget for 2018-19
Gandhinagar, Feb 20 (IANS) Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also holds the finance portfolio, on Tuesday presented a Rs 1,83,666 crore budget for 2018-19, without any new major taxes but also proposing a revenus surplus of Rs 5,998 crore and overall surplus of Rs 783 crore
The budget was presented amid a walkout by the opposition Congress members alleging that the government was giving a short shrift to the farmers and protesting the support price for groundnut crop.
The Congress MLAs ignored repeated requests by Speaker Rajendra Trivedi, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel before leaving the House. Earlier, the Speaker suspended opposition legislator Harshad Ribabia who was rushing towards his chair and hurling groundnuts all over in the hall.
The opposition benches remained vacant throughout the Finance Minister’s budget speech. The Congress MLAs were complaining that the budgetary outlay to the agricultural sector of Rs 6,755 crore reflected the government’s bias against the farmers.
The maximum allocation of Rs 27,500 crore has been made for the education sector, followed by Narmada and Water Resources Department at Rs 14,895 crore. An outlay of Rs 9,750 crore has been made to the Health and Family Department, and Rs 9,252 crore for roads and buildings. The lowest outlay of Rs 103 crore is for the Climate Change Department.
After the Congress walkout, the Finance Minister continued his three-hour budget speech asserting that the Congress was unable to swallow its defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections and so was creating obstacles in the state’s path of development.
On the Congress allegation on minimum support price for groundnut, Patel claimed that the Congress never gave the MSP which his party provided.
Leader of Opposition Paresh Dhanani told reporters after his party’s walkout from the House that despite its 22-year rule in Gujarat, the BJP had failed to bring the fruits of development to the poor, the Dalits, farmers and the rural areas.
“The state government is squandering away crores of public money on festivals and event management,” he said.
–IANS
desai/vd
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
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.