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Who is Finance Minister, Congress asks PM
New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Alleging “gross economic mismanagement” over the past four years, Congress on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was the country’s Finance Minister, while saying “social disharmony is the enemy of economic development”.
“The PMO’s website says one thing, the website of the Finance Ministry tells another story. The gentleman, who is designated as the minister without portfolio on the website of the PMO (Arun Jaitley), there are reports that he is holding video conferences with the officials of the Finance Ministry,” said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.
He also said that the government and the Prime Minister “have not understood one simple equation that social disharmony and economic progress cannot go hand in hand”.
“Social disharmony is the enemy of economic development. Unfortunately the spectre of social intolerance which has been created by the Modi government and their ideological fellow travellers is a complete anathema and is totally detrimental to any sustained substantive economic activity,” Tewari added.
Tewari also sought to know whu “the revised GDP series going back to financial year 2011 has still not been put in the public domain despite the fact that base year for calculating the GDP was revised in the year 2015”.
“According to economists, the GDP rate on the new base year between 2004 and 2009 which was the first term of the UPA government, the average comes to 9.8 per cent and for the second term (from 2009 to 2014) it comes to 7.5 per cent.
“The growth rate between 2014 and 2018 as per the revised calculations comes to 7.1 per cent. Is it not a fact that government does not want to release the data as it expose the policy paralysis of the government,” he added.
The Congress leader also asked why investment by domestic corporates into the economy grew by only 5.7 per cent in 2016-17.
“Is it not a fact that the Current Account Deficit for the current fiscal has widened to such an extent that international financial institutions are raising serious questions…,” he asked.
“Is it not a fact that between 2014 and 2018 the banking system wrote off loans worth Rs. 3,92,765 crore as unrecoverable loans. Nirav Modi is just a symptom of the larger malaise which has afflicted economic management”.
Tewari also said according to the International Labour Organization, only 8,23,000 jobs were created in the first three years of this government, or roughly 2.5 lakh per year though Modi had promised two crore jobs each year.
–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.