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Top Facebook executives set to depose before parliamentary panel (Lead)

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New Delhi, March 3 (IANS) Facebook is sending Joel Kaplan, Vice President, Global Public Policy, to face the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology (IT) on March 6 that will hear him what the social media giant, and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram are doing to safeguard citizen rights across its platforms.

Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Editor, Facebook India and Ankhi Das, Director Public, Policy and Programmes, will accompany Kaplan, sources told IANS on Sunday.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg or COO Sheryl Sandberg are not travelling to India for the hearing.

“Senior Facebook officials will appear on March 6 before a parliamentary panel to outline the specific measures undertaken to ensure safety of users on its platform after being summoned by the committee,” said sources.

Their turn comes after Colin Crowell, Global Vice President of Public Policy of Twitter, deposed before the BJP MP Anurag Thakur-led panel on February 25 and discussed how it is going to help address issues such as political bias and manipulation on its platform in real-time.

Twitter was told to send back answers to some of the unanswered queries during the hearing within the 10-day time frame.

“The Parliamentary Committee on IT will now examine the issue of ‘Safeguarding citizen rights on social/online news media platforms’. The following will present their positions: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram,” Thakur had tweeted last month.

As India gears up for the general election, owners of global social media platforms are in a huddle over how to curb the spread of misinformation and fake news in a country where deep mobile penetration has helped Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram reach millions.

Facebook has close to 300 million users and WhatsApp over 200 million. According to statista.com, Instagram has nearly 75 million users in India.

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Facebook has brought a new tool aimed at bringing transparency to ads related to politics in the country.

Anyone who runs ads related to politics in India will have to reveal their identity and location to pass the authorisation process and have a “Published by” or “Paid for by” label.

“The tool comes with some India-specific features,” Shivnath Thukral, Facebook’s Public Policy Director for India and South Asia told IANS recently.

“The law of the land does not require us to make the ‘Paid for by’ label mandatory in India,” Thukral added.

Another India-first feature that Facebook introduced was that advertisers can begin the authorization on their mobile phones itself instead of logging in from a desktop.

Facebook also introduced for registered political parties in India an option to upload their Media Certification and Monitoring Committee Certificate from the Election Commission of India.

“In our conversation with Election Commission, we learnt that it is essential to give political parties the option to upload the certificate,” Thukral added.

–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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