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Debt-stressed Bengal on austerity drive, officials asked not to waste public money

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Kolkata, July 5 (IANS) Tightening austerity measures to keep her debt-stressed government going, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday directed officials to avoid wasteful expenditure, saying there was no scope for luxury with public money.

Three days after her government came out with a 15-point circular announcing measures to curtail “avoidable expenditurea, the Chief Minister presided over a high-level administrative meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna during the day to prepare a detailed roadmap on the matter.

“We discussed innovative measures to increase efficiency, effectiveness of governance, austerity measures, curbing of wasteful expenditure,” Banerjee told media persons after the meeting.

She said while her government won’t compromise on public services, it would be more proactive in ensuring effective utilisation of resources and manpower.

“There is no scope for luxury in government. This is people’s money,” she said.

Turning to her government’s financial liabilities, the Chief Minister pointed out that since coming to power, it has repaid loans of Rs 2.24 lakh crore.

“This year itself we will repay Rs 46,000 crore. I need Rs 5,000 crore extra to pay additional dearness allowance to my employees. When we came to power, the state’s plan budget was Rs 11,000 crore. It has now gone up to near Rs 80,000 crore. We are spending Rs 18,000 crore on infrastructural projects,” she said.

The Chief Minister said her government has already cut cost by merging a dozen of the 63 departments.

Dwelling on areas where there could be further reduction of expenditure, Banerjee asked officials to see to it that the tenders floated were not technically faulty, as those entailed loss of crores of rupees.

She said a committee headed by Chief Secretary Malay Dey has been formed to ensure rationalisation of manpower. “There are some departments where there is extra manpower. And again, there are departments where there is shortage of human resources. The panel will look into it and make suitable adjustments.”

The meeting also gave an outline of a plan, and a timeline for implementing them.

The Finance and Public Works Departments would start new training programmes on the austerity measures and steps would be taken to reallocate money for priority areas in case some departments were not in a position to utilise the funds sanctioned for them.

“Last year also, we saved money in some of the departments, and utilised it to build roads and give water to the people,” said Banerjee.

Earlier this week, the government had published a ‘Circular of Economic Measures’, signed by Dey, which had put a curb on frequent travel of bureaucrats to Delhi and other states, organising conferences and meetings at star hotels, and restricted creation of new posts and purchase of new vehicles, besides announcing various other austerity measures.

–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

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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.

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