Top News
Naidu launches work on steel plant, blasts Centre
Kadapa (Andhra Pradesh), Dec 27 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday laid foundation stone for a steel plant in Kadapa district on Thursday even as the Centre blamed the state government for not providing required information on availability of the mines and iron ore.
With the Centre not giving its approval for the plant as committed at the time of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the state government decided to go ahead with the work on its own.
After laying the foundation stone for the plant at Maremma Kambaladinne village, Naidu said he wanted to demonstrate the state’s capabilities to the Centre.
He slammed the Centre for going back on all the commitments made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) pulled out of NDA earlier this year over the latter’s failure to keep the promise of special category status to the state, said the state repeatedly took up the issue of steel plant with the Centre but there was no response.
Earlier, the state Cabinet approved the setting up of the steel plant named Rayalaseema Steels on 3,500 acre land. The plant requires an outlay of about Rs 18,000-20,000 crore and it will have capacity of three million tonnes per annum.
Hours after Naidu laid the foundation stone, the Centre blamed the state government for not providing required information on availability of the mines and iron ore for the proposed plant.
A detailed statement issued by the Steel Ministry recalled that the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) had found the project not feasible. However, the ministry appointed a high level Task Force, which has been holding meetings periodically.
“The State Government itself had engaged Geological Survey of India (GSI) for doing the exploration work of Obulapuram Mines (G2 Survey: for ascertaining iron ore resource availability) which is a pre-requisite for finalization of the feasibility report. However, in spite of several reminders and reviews of the Task Force, this information has not been given by the State Government so far,” it said.
“MECON, a premier steel consulting company, has been engaged by the Task Force to prepare the draft feasibility report and it has been struggling to get this information in order to finalize the draft report which is almost final except for the information on mines and the iron ore availability,” it added.
The ministry reiterated that once the state government furnishes the information, the feasibility report will be prepared by MECON within the shortest possible time and thereafter the modalities of investment will be finalized.
–IANS
ms/prs
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.