National
Need a mass movement to conserve forest, says minister
New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave on Wednesday said that a ‘Jan Andolan’ — mass movement — is needed for regeneration of the forests and nature. The minister who advocated a Gandhian way of life for ecological sustainability at the recently held COP22 at Marrakech in Morocco, pointed out the need to relate with nature.
“We need to relook at our relationship with land, soils and forests — first empathise and relate to nature if we want to minimise our carbon footprint,” Dave said at a conference ‘Securing the forest, land and soil’ held by think tank Club of Rome. The minster said that the understanding for nature is in-built in our DNA and added, “If we are to deal with the issues of today, we should make regeneration of forest and soil a Jan Andolan.”
Depicting some challenges that Indian mission of sustainable lifestyle faces, the think tank said, “India needs some 1.5 Indias (in terms of biocapacity, resources etc.) to sustain itself, up from the 0.3 or 0.4 India it needed at Independence.” Even though the per capita ecological footprint is modest, due to its population and size India as a nation has the third largest ecological footprint in the world.
“The challenge for our planet is that when population will cross over nine billion by 2050, 50 per cent additional power, 30 per cent additional food and 50 per cent additional water would be required,” said S. Ramadorai, Chairman of Indian National Association for the Club of Rome. He added that India is among 12 mega diversity regions of the world, holds seven per cent of the world’s biodiversity and supports 16 major forest types, and yet sustaining all that is an area of major concern for us.
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.