National
Chandrababu Naidu to meet Modi over ‘injustice’ to Andhra
Hyderabad: Unhappy over the “raw deal” meted out to Andhra Pradesh in the union budget, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu Saturday decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek justice for his state reeling under the impact of bifurcation.
Naidu, who is also president of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a partner in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, told reporters here that the budget dashed hopes of people who had reposed faith in the alliance.
Stating that everybody in the state is disappointed with the budget, he said it was Modi’s responsibility to ensure that Andhra Pradesh gets all the support and its state capital is developed at par with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Unhappy over the state not being given special category status and sufficient funds in the union budget, Naidu said he would make all efforts to pursue the central government to undo the injustice done to the state by the previous Congress-led government by dividing the state.
Naidu reminded Modi that during the election campaign, they gave assurances to people and made promises.
“At an election meeting in Tirupati, Mr. Modi had promised that a world-class capital city would be developed which would be better than Delhi,” he said.
Naidu said he had been seeking Rs.1 lakh crore for developing new state capital as it may take 15-20 years for it to reach Hyderabad’s level of development.
The chief minister said he visited Delhi seven-eight times and met the prime minister, the finance minister and others to explain to them the problems faced by his state and the assistance required to overcome them.
“I did not expect this,” said Naidu, while pointing out that the budget has nothing to offer to the state.
The TDP chief said division of the state was a political decision and hence the creation of level-playing field has to be a political decision.
He, however, said this would have no impact on his “friendship” with the BJP-led government.
Asked if he would withdraw support to the government, he retorted: “I am not going to play petty politics.”
Naidu said the state’s division was done in “unjust” manner. The successor state of Andhra Pradesh ended up with 11 percent revenue loss in proportion to its population.
Stating that the state suffered loss of Rs.61,000 crore due to Hudhud cyclone last year, aggravating the situation, he urged the central government to extend every help to the state both in terms of policy decisions and provision of funds.
Referring to meagre allocation of Rs.100 crore in the budget for Polavaram project, he wondered how long it would take to complete the project.
Naidu said no decision was taken on making Visakhapatnam a separate railway zone as committed in the Reorganisation Act.
Earlier, TDP parliamentarians and Andhra Pradesh cabinet ministers said injustice was done to the state as there was no clarity with regard to the special status promised in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
MP G. Jayadev said in New Delhi that they were “very disappointed”.
He said though Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said all legal commitments made at the time of reorganisation would be complied with, there was no clarity in the budget.
He said it was a year since the Reorganisation Act was passed but nothing had been done to fulfill the commitment made therein.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Y.S. Chowdary said Jaitley told parliament that Bihar and West Bengal would be provided special assistance as was provided to Andhra Pradesh but there was no clarity.
TDP had joined NDA before last year’s elections. It has 15 members in Lok Sabha.
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.