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Did no wrong, Akalis politicising issue: Dyal Singh College Chairman
New Delhi, May 3 (IANS) Sticking to the decision to change name of the Dyal Singh College, its governing body chairman Amitabh Sinha on Thursday said that the administration had done no wrong and accused the Akali Dal of politicising the issue in the name of minority rights.
“We did what was in the interest of the college. The new name was necessary legally and morally… I am pained and anguished to be accused of hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community.
“A lobby of the Dyal Singh College staff members had roped in the Shiromani Akali Dal to cry foul over the ‘hurt Sikh sentiments’ when they failed to think of no other way to halt the educational reforms,” he told reporters here.
Responding to the rap he received from the Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday, Sinha said he wasn’t sure if the minister said what he said “under pressure from someone” and that “he should have avoided such words”.
“The Delhi University is completely autonomous to take any decision… they can take any legal action they want. What we did was right. The name of the college will be Dyal Singh, we are only prefixing ‘Vande Mataram’ before it,” he said.
The controversy over the name of one of the two morning Dyal Singh Colleges had erupted on Wednesday when Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, of the Akali Dal, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that Sinha be sacked for changing the college’s name to ‘Vande Mataram Dyal Singh College’.
Javadekar had, on Wednesday, said that he had come to know of news reports that the Dyal Singh College’s name has been changed and wanted to “clarify that the college name will not be changed. There should not be any question about it”.
“The management can only call them Dyal Singh College ‘one’ and ‘two’, or Dyal Singh College ‘A’ and ‘B’… and we will take strict action against the college management for daring to change the name,” he had said.
Sinha said that in his meeting with the HRD Minister last November, the latter was convinced of being “misled” by the Akali Dal on the issue and had allowed the matter to be decided between the college authority and the university.
He said that the minister went back on his promise and that his current intervention was “misplaced” which “belies the trust” that was reposed in the office.
As of now, the request for the name change technically lies pending with the university.
The alleged change in name had come to light through some news reports which had claimed that the college had used the name ‘Vande Mataram Dyal Singh College’ on the banners put up during the annual event of the college on April 25.
The college is named after Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, the founder of The Tribune Trust (1881) and the Punjab National Bank (1894). The philanthropist had set up Dyal Singh Trust, which in 1910 established the Dyal Singh College in Lahore.
The educational institution was operating morning and evening shifts earlier but the evening shift too was changed to morning hours last year. At present, two colleges are functioning in the morning shift from the common campus.
–IANS
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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.