Top News
21,000 villages picked for saturation of government plans
New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday said his ministry has chosen 21,000 villages across the country for saturation of seven Central welfare schemes during the 22-day “Gram Swaraj Abhiyan” programme to be started from Saturday.
Tomar’s announcement came just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all elected representatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to go to villages to ensure that the benefits of the welfare schemes aimed at the poor and those living in rural areas reached them.
The Minister said the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan will begin on the birth anniversary of Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar and end on May 5.
A total of 1,000 Central government employees have been selected for the “100 per cent” saturation of these seven schemes and they would be working along with state government officials, he said.
The seven schemes include Ujjwala, Saubhagya or Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana, Ujala, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana, among others.
He said Ujjwala Yojana is related to the distribution of LPG cylinders, Saubhagya to distribution of electricity, while Ujala is linked to the distribution of LED bulbs to people in rural areas.
Tomar said the Central and state government officials would open accounts of people in the villages selected under the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana and motivate them to take life insurance being provided by the Central government under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana.
He said under the programme, party leaders would celebrate April 18 as “Swachh Bharat Parv”, April 20 as “Ujwala Diwas”, April 24 as “Panchayati Raj Diwas”, April 28 as “Gram Shakti Abhiyan” and April 30 as “Ayushman Bharat Diwas” celebrating the scheme popularly called “Modicare”.
A Kishan Kalyan Karyashala, focussed on empowering farmers by doubling their income, will be organised on May 2 and a Kaushal Vikas Mela will be held for the labour class on May 5.
The Prime Minister would also be visiting Maoist-affected Bijapur in Chhattisgarh on Saturday April 14 to join the programme.
–IANS
rak/him/nir
Top News
Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.