National
Jaitley talks of tougher law to bring scamsters to justice
New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Without mentioning the Rs 11,300 crore fraud on state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) involving diamantaire Nirav Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said Indian law will be suitably amended to bring to bear the full weight of justice on fraudsters.
Making his first public comments on the PNB scam that has rocked the banking system, Jaitley had earlier this week said that the state is duty-bound to ensure that those cheating the system are brought to justice.
“Indian business has to learn to do ethical business. Those who deviate from this will face the consequences not only in terms of business and civil law, but the criminal law too will be transformed to allow extreme action against such delinquents,” Jaitley said at the ET Global Business Summit here on Saturday.
He also said that the Indian industry now needs to seriously introspect about its responsibility to be ethical while doing business.
“Rather than always have a close look at what governments are doing, Indian industry needs to look inwards and to a fair bit of introspecting,” the Finance Minister said, adding that the industry, in collusion with chartered accountants, had for years been employing various ways like creating shell companies to “round trip” money and avoid paying taxes.
At an event here on Tuesday, he had said: “It is incumbent on us as a state, till its last legitimate capacity, to chase these people to the last possible conclusion to make sure that the country is not cheated.”
In connection with the PNB case, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Court in Mumbai has remanded to police custody till March 3 three accused persons in the case — PNB Deputy Manager Gokulnath Shetty, Single Window Operator Manoj Kharat and an authorised signatory of prime accused Nirav Modi’s group companies.
Besides them, the CBI has also named 10 other directors and officials as accused in the scam.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said it has attached diamond trader Nirav Modi’s 21 immovable properties worth Rs 523.72 crore in connection with an ongoing probe into the Rs 11,300-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.
The assets include a farm house in Alibaug (Rs 42.70 crore) near Mumbai seashore, a solar power plant spread over 53 acre of land in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra (Rs 70 crore) and another 135 acre land in Ahmednagar (Rs 2.20 crore), along with other residential and office properties worth Rs 408.82 crore in Mumbai and Pune.
On Friday, the ED said it has frozen Nirav Modi’s bank account and shares worth Rs 43 crore. It had earlier seized bank deposits, shares and luxury cars worth over Rs 100 crore belonging to the businessman and his group.
The agency has also frozen mutual funds and shares worth Rs 7.80 crore of Nirav Modi and Rs 86.72 crore belonging to his uncle Mehul Choksi of the Gitanjali Group.
Both central agencies had conducted multiple raids at the residential and office premises and showrooms of the accused traders ever since the CBI filed two FIRs on February 14-15 against Nirav Modi and the Gitanjali Group of companies.
–IANS
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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.